Re:Oil-Rich Saudi Arabia Is Turning to Nuclear Power
by lsaferite on Tuesday March 20, 2018 @08:32AM
(#16627936)
Well, under the hyperbolic post I see someone saying that Saudi Arabia going after nuclear power should be viewed with great skepticism, and some amount of trepidation, based off their past and present conduct.
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Re:Oil-Rich Saudi Arabia Is Turning to Nuclear Power
by OmnipotentEntit on Tuesday March 20, 2018 @08:47AM
(#16628033)
Sure, but having nuclear reactors != having nuclear weapons. There are two ways to make nuclear weapons: enrichment and harvesting plutonium from reactors designed to make it.
Enrichment is almost certainly not going to be acceptable due to past and present conduct.
Harvesting is going to simply not be possible, because it requires a type of reactor designed for the task, and nearly all modern reactors are actively designed against it (known as proliferation resistant reactors). The US and allies won't sell LEU to the Sauds if they know they don't have proliferation resistant reactors.
Russia and Pakistan might though. Which is why it's important to lock the Sauds in on proliferation resistant reactors and LEU imports ASAP.