The uranium fuel market is weak from commercial and technical issues ranging from a small supply chain, to an overabundance of supply met with too little demand. Prices have dropped low enough that conversion plants have begun to temporarily halt production to allow the prices to recover. The current state of the nuclear fuel market makes it difficult to economically justify the development of new enrichment. However, oversupply in the market also makes it highly unlikely that existing technology holders would provide technical assistance to Saudi Arabia in its efforts to achieve fuel self-sufficiency. Thus, an earnest effort by Saudi Arabia to develop an indigenous nuclear fuel industry is, considering the many technical barriers (e.g. mastery of conversion technology), likely to take decades at the minimum. In that period, political and economic developments affecting nuclear fuel supply and demand are almost certain to occur.
