The United States has expanded its activities in the nuclear energy sector through two parallel tracks: signing a civilian nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia and launching a regulatory framework that paves the way for deploying offshore nuclear reactors. The Trump administration says this move enhances American energy security and supports its economic and strategic objectives.

The United States on Wednesday announced a landmark deal with Saudi Arabia that would establish a civilian nuclear program in the Gulf country, with Washington insisting the agreement includes non-proliferation safeguards.

The move comes as the United States under President Donald Trump fights a war with Iran that began in large part over concerns with Tehran’s nuclear program — an issue that remains a key point of contention during now-stalled peace talks.

Two agreements — one on “peaceful nuclear cooperation” and another on “bilateral safeguards” — were signed by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, the US Energy Department said. The text of the deals was not immediately made public.

“Together, these two agreements lay the legal foundation for a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar partnership that advances several priority economic and strategic objectives, including nuclear nonproliferation,” the department said in a statement.

A provision in the deal would potentially see US companies build a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Energy Department statement made no mention of such a provision and did not offer comment when asked about it by AFP.

US lawmakers from both parties and Israeli officials have previously voiced opposition to such a project over fears Saudi Arabia could eventually convert it to develop nuclear weapons.

US Energy Secretary Wright dismissed concerns about proliferation, insisting the deal was in Washington’s economic and strategic interest.

“Rest assured, these agreements uphold the highest standards of nuclear safety and nonproliferation, while relying on the world’s best nuclear technology and scientists, designed right here in the United States,” he said in a statement.

The US also announced it had created a “clear framework” for the eventual deployment of offshore nuclear reactors, as part of the Trump administration’s push to drastically ramp up atomic energy output.

The Department of the Interior’s Marine Minerals Administration (MMA) said it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to advance the deployment of reactors in the Outer Continental Shelf — 3.2 billion acres off the nation’s coastlines that fall under federal jurisdiction.

“Submerged reactor systems have been safely deployed in naval applications for decades, demonstrating their potential as a reliable source of energy in demanding marine environments,” MMA’s Acting Director Matt Giacona said in a statement, adding it could “greatly strengthen America’s energy security in the future.”

Jeremy Bowen, director of the NRC’s Office of Advanced Reactors added it created a “clear framework” for how the agencies could work together to ensure “clarity and confidence to potential future applicants and enable the safe, secure, and efficient deployment of emerging nuclear technologies.”

Nuclear energy has long been used in naval ships and submarines as well as by icebreakers.

There is also growing interest in how it could help decarbonize global energy systems, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) — though that is not a priority for the Trump administration, which has notably sought to halt offshore wind projects.

Canada, China, Denmark, South Korea, Russia and the United States are all working on marine small modular reactor designs, according to the IAEA, though for now Russia is the only country with one that is operational.

The Trump administration has said it aims to quadruple nuclear energy by the year 2050. Conservationists reacted to the latest announcement with alarm. (AFP)