RIYADH, July 22 — Saudi Arabia has thrown open its civilian nuclear market to U.S. companies, a move that industry estimates suggest could generate tens of thousands of American jobs and sees the kingdom building up to 16 nuclear reactors by the end of the decade. Projected contracts over the next 30 years range from $80 billion to $100 billion, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute, an industry trade group. The Saudi government has already allocated $80 billion for nuclear energy development.
Each reactor is estimated to cost between $5 billion and $10 billion. The total capacity target: 17.6 gigawatts — enough to power millions of homes.
Think of it like this: if each reactor were a huge power plant roughly the size of a small city block, you’re stacking up 16 of them across the Saudi desert. That’s the scale of ambition here. Under the kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan, the goal is to generate 50% of its electricity from renewables and nuclear by that year, reducing the country’s heavy dependence on oil exports for domestic power.
In plain terms, Saudi Arabia wants to keep more oil to sell on world markets rather than burn it to keep the lights on at home.
U.S. Companies and Jobs
Two American firms are expected to bid on the reactor construction work. Westinghouse Electric Company, headquartered in Pennsylvania, and GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy — a joint venture between General Electric and Japan’s Hitachi — are both in the running. The Nuclear Energy Institute estimates the deal could create 50,000 to 60,000 U.S. jobs.
But here’s what it means for those workers: these aren’t just factory-floor positions. They span engineering, manufacturing, project management, and long-term maintenance support.
The practical upshot is that a single reactor contract can sustain thousands of skilled jobs across multiple states over many years.
The Enriched Uranium Question
The deal also allows Saudi Arabia to sell enriched uranium on the global market. That provision has raised eyebrows. Enriched uranium can be used for both civilian power generation and, at higher enrichment levels, nuclear weapons.
The ability to sell it could potentially affect global prices and supply chains. Critics argue that the economic benefits for the United States may be overstated.
Nonproliferation costs — monitoring, inspections, and safeguards to ensure the material isn’t diverted to military use — could offset any job gains or contract revenues. In their view, the arrangement trades short-term commercial wins for long-term security risks. Still, for now, the deal marks a significant expansion of U.S.-Saudi commercial ties in the energy sector.
The next step will be watching which companies submit formal bids and whether Congress raises concerns about the enriched uranium provisions. That debate is likely to shape the final shape of contracts in the months ahead.
