US nod sharing nuclear power info with Saudi Arabia after Khashoggi killing

The Trump administration granted two authorisations to US companies to share sensitive nuclear power information with Saudi Arabia not long after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October, a US senator who saw the approvals said on Tuesday.

The Department of Energy granted the first Part 810 authorisation on October 18, 16 days after Khashoggi, who was a US resident, was killed. The second occurred on February 19.

The timing of the approvals is likely to heap pressure on the administration of US President Donald Trump from politicians who have become increasingly critical of US support for Saudi Arabia since Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018.

Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia where Khashoggi lived, called the timing of the approvals "shocking".

US intelligence agencies have concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder - a conclusion the kingdom denies.

The authorisations were among seven granted to US companies by Trump's administration since 2017, as Washington and Riyadh negotiate a potential wider agreement to help Saudi Arabia develop its first two nuclear power reactors.

The authorisations were first reported in March, but it was not yet known if any were issued after Khashoggi's killing.

The Energy Department has kept the companies involved in the sharing of nuclear technology information with the kingdom confidential, citing the need to protect business interests. In the past, 810 approvals have been made available for the public to view at department headquarters.

Many US legislators are concerned that sharing nuclear technology with Saudi Arabia could eventually lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.

Riyadh plans to issue a multibillion-dollar tender in 2020 to build its first two nuclear power reactors, sources said in April. Originally expected last year, the tender has been delayed several times.

The US, South Korea, Russia, China and France are competing for the business. US reactor builder Westinghouse, owned by Brookfield Asset Management Inc, would likely sell nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia in any deal that involved US technology.