RIYADH: The US and Saudi Arabia will sign a preliminary agreement on energy cooperation and civilian nuclear technology, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told a press conference in the Saudi capital on Sunday.
The US official said that details on nuclear cooperation between the two countries would come later this year.
He said the cooperation will focus on building a commercial nuclear power industry in the Kingdom “with meaning developments expected this year.”
“There will definitely be a 123 nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia,” Wright said. He said Washington expects long-term cooperation with Riyadh to develop civilian nuclear industry in the Kingdom.
Responding to a question by Arab News, the top US official said the two sides will cooperate across major energy sectors with “US technologies and partnerships playing a key role.”
He said Saudi Arabia has excellent solar resources and room for technological improvement.
Wright also praised the Kingdom’s approach to efficient energy development and said it applied to all energy sources.
Commenting on the bilateral ties between the two countries, the energy secretary said: “I believe Saudi Arabia will be one of the leading countries investing in the US, which is a win for both nations.”
Wright extended his gratitude to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman for their warm hospitality, as he and his delegation arrived to strengthen bilateral ties and explore shared interests.
Wright said the talks with Saudi officials spanned a broad range of issues, including energy cooperation, critical minerals mining and processing, industrial development, and climate change.
“We discussed the core of what drives progress—human lives and how to improve them,” he noted. “Our conversations also addressed the challenges both our nations have faced in recent years, particularly in the energy sector.”
“We talked across the energy spectrum. I think Saudi Arabia has clearly been a nation built on efficient and thoughtful development of energy resources.” Wright told Arab News.
Commenting on US tariffs, Wright outlined President Trump’s broader economic agenda, emphasizing that tariffs are just one component of a larger strategy.
He said the US has long welcomed imports from countries around the world, benefiting both those nations and American consumers.
“However, the president is strongly focused on ensuring that our trading partners offer the same level of openness to American goods.”
Wright added that the administration’s goal is to expand the flow of US exports while maintaining robust imports and international economic engagement.
“So, that is a way you could describe this, fair trade, not restricted trade, just fair trade, reciprocal trade,” the official said.
Wright said that another key part of his agenda addresses the outsourcing of many energy-intensive industries over the past two decades. These are sectors where the US once led in technology and production, but which have increasingly moved overseas, he added.
Wright further noted that many Americans have watched job opportunities shift overseas, leading to diminished economic prospects and reduced security for their families.
“He ran on a platform to bring those jobs back to America,” he said. “Tariffs are one way to provide a nudge — encouraging investment in the United States, supporting domestic manufacturing, and ultimately expanding economic opportunity and prosperity for Americans.”
Wright also expressed optimism about Saudi Arabia’s role in this evolving landscape, predicting it will become one of the leading countries investing in the US.
“I think that’s a win for the Kingdom, a win for the United States, and most importantly, a win for the American working class,” he said. “It means better job opportunities and lower costs of goods for American citizens.”
Discussing current oil prices, he expressed confidence in a shift under potential future leadership.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, in the next four years, we are almost certain to see lower average energy prices than we saw during the last four years of the current administration,” he said.
He noted that many Americans have grown increasingly frustrated with rising energy costs, particularly in the absence of significant growth in electricity production.
“They were frustrated to see the cost of powering their cars go up, their home heating bills rise, and their electricity bills increase—all without meaningful expansion in energy output,” he said.
“President Trump was elected on a platform to grow energy production. If you grow supply, you increase access and, at the margin, push prices down.”
He added that while he could not comment specifically on current oil prices or predict future levels, he believes the right policy environment could help ease costs.
“I do think we will see lower oil prices in the next four years than we’ve seen recently,” he said. “If you reduce barriers to investment and ease restrictions on infrastructure development, you lower the cost of supplying energy—and that benefits everyone.”
Corporations and nations alike can achieve greater profitability and energy reliability at a lower cost by removing barriers, eliminating inefficiencies, and challenging the growing pessimism around global energy demand, according to Wright.
“There is so much political force trying to say that energy consumption is bad,” he said. “The implication is that the seven billion people who don’t live like we do maybe never should—and that we should do everything possible to suppress global energy demand.”
“That approach is the opposite of what I believe to be sound policy, and it’s also contrary to what I see here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he added. “There’s clear agreement that the way to build a better world is through more energy, not less; more prosperity, not less; and stronger international partnerships.”
Wright also noted Saudi Arabia’s growing interest in expanding its energy production capabilities—particularly through commercial nuclear power.
“The technology for commercial nuclear power was developed in the United States,” he said. “We are continuing our dialogue on how the US and Saudi Arabia can cooperate to ultimately build a commercial nuclear power industry here in the Kingdom.”
Saudi Arabia has long prioritized energy diversification, with commercial nuclear energy emerging as a key area of strategic interest. As the Kingdom seeks to broaden its energy mix, it continues to leverage its deep-rooted expertise in the energy sector.
“This has been an ambition in Saudi Arabia for some time, and for good reason,” Wright said. “Energy has been a central industry here—certainly not the only one—but one in which the country has achieved great success.”
He highlighted the Kingdom’s mineral resources, including uranium, as a natural advantage in pursuing nuclear power development.
In addressing the future of global energy, Wright emphasized the importance of long-term planning and sustained investment over short-term price fluctuations or political cycles.
“It’s clear that the world needs far more energy,” he said. “But energy development isn’t something that happens over weeks or months—it requires planning over decades.”
He stressed that ongoing US-Saudi cooperation, along with shifts in Washington’s energy policy, could lead to accelerated economic growth in both nations and globally.
“That’s not just good for our economies—it’s good for humanity,” he said. “But to make that future a reality, we need significant investments across the full spectrum of energy and the infrastructure to support it.”
