{"id":14938,"date":"2026-08-14T19:21:41","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T16:21:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/?p=14938"},"modified":"2026-08-14T19:21:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T16:21:41","slug":"if-america-wont-build-saudi-reactors-beijing-will","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/if-america-wont-build-saudi-reactors-beijing-will\/","title":{"rendered":"If America Won’t Build Saudi Reactors, Beijing Will"},"content":{"rendered":"

American strategic interests in the Gulf have suffered from the current diplomatic impasse, according to Michael Schwartz<\/strong> writing in Washington Examiner<\/em>. Saudi Arabia’s core security priorities center on protecting critical infrastructure and countering the existential threat posed by a potential Iranian nuclear weapon. These concerns help explain why the kingdom is aggressively pursuing its own nuclear program, including uranium enrichment and fuel reprocessing capabilities that could provide a pathway to weaponization.<\/p>\n

While China appears unable to address Saudi Arabia’s immediate security needs, it has emerged as a major player in the kingdom’s nuclear strategy. Schwartz previously outlined how China stood to gain significantly from the now-defunct U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding. The diplomatic fallout with Riyadh over nuclear negotiations has created yet another opening for Beijing to expand its regional footprint by supplying nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia should American talks fail.<\/p>\n

Saudi Power Sector Economics Don’t Add Up<\/h2>\n

Currently, approximately 65 percent of Saudi electricity generation comes from natural gas, with oil providing most of the remainder. The kingdom’s Vision 2030 initiative aims to replace virtually all oil-fired power generation with natural gas and renewable energy sources by decade’s end.<\/p>\n

Any nuclear power program launched after 2030 would therefore displace natural gas rather than oil, freeing up gas for export as liquefied natural gas or petrochemical feedstock. However, achieving this would require roughly 35 gigawatts of nuclear generating capacity\u2014more than five times the capacity installed by the United Arab Emirates under its Barakah project, which took 15 years and approximately $30 billion to complete.<\/p>\n

Despite Saudi Arabia’s abundant financial resources and long planning horizons, nuclear power would prove far more expensive than the natural gas it would replace. This suggests that economics alone cannot explain the nuclear push. Instead, national prestige, regional competition with the UAE, or other strategic factors appear to be driving Riyadh’s atomic ambitions.<\/p>\n