Saudi Arabia plans domestic uranium value chain

Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as the transparent alternative to Iran on nuclear. The Kingdom wants to build a domestic uranium value chain — from exploration through yellowcake production — alongside adding nuclear power to its energy mix, Energy and Industry Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said at the IAEA General Conference in Vienna. The minister framed the program as “transparent,” with no activities “in hiding” or at “undisclosed facilities” — a direct jab at Tehran, whose enrichment sites sit deep underground and which has blocked IAEA checks on its near-bomb-grade stockpile since June 2025.

The Kingdom is pursuing three main tracks to develop its uranium resources — extracting uranium as a byproduct of phosphoric acid production for phosphate fertilizer, developing resources identified at Jabal Sayid in Madinah, and expanding geological surveys for conventional uranium deposits. Jabal Sayid contains around 114 mn tons of ore with high concentrations of rare earth elements alongside uranium indications.

BUT- Riyadh and Washington’s narratives don’t quite match up: There are “no plans at all for enrichment in Saudi Arabia,” US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Monday, according to Bloomberg, describing July’s 30-year civil nuclear pact as being about commercial power generation. Riyadh’s stated ambition runs to the full fuel cycle. Wright’s statement comes as Riyadh is negotiating bespoke bilateral provisions in lieu of signing the IAEA’s additional protocol — the tool that gives the UN nuclear watchdog its most sweeping inspection powers