In August 2017, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House) reported that Saudi Arabia and China had signed a memorandum of understanding on desalination powered by high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactors. The parties were two state-owned firms, China Nuclear Engineering Group Corp and Saudi Company for Development and Technical Investment. Signing took place in Riyadh on 24 August 2017 during a session of the high-level Saudi-Chinese joint committee, as one of four agreements. Saudi Arabia was then only starting feasibility and design work on its first two commercial reactors.
The report showed that Saudi Arabia was at the time exploring nuclear power as a possible energy source for desalination, as part of a broader diversification of its energy mix and so far only as a memorandum.