China And Jordan Plan Cooperation On Nuclear Power And Uranium Mining
Written by NucNet
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
NucNet News No. 66
20 Aug (NucNet): Jordan and China have signed an agreement that paves
the way for future cooperation in nuclear power projects including
electricity generation and desalination.
Under the agreement, announced by the Chinese government today, both sides will cooperate in areas including nuclear power plant design, construction and operation.
The agreement was signed yesterday in the Jordanian capital Amman by China's ambassador to the country, Gong Xiaosheng, and the chairman of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission, Khaled Touqan. Mr Touqan said both countries were also ready to cooperate in uranium mining projects in Jordan.
China said Jordan is proposing that 30 percent of its domestic energy production will derive from nuclear power by 2030.
In 2007, King Abdullah of Jordan called for proposals for the launch of a nuclear power programme in his country to be "speeded up".
Jordan's minister of energy and mineral resources said in May 2007 that consideration would be given to the development of Jordan's estimated 80,000 tonnes of uranium reserves - about 2 percent of known recoverable resources of uranium worldwide - with a further 100,000 tonnes that could be extracted from phosphates.
Earlier this year, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited and engineering and construction group SNC-Lavalin signed a memorandum of understanding with the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission. The MOU covers a range of areas of cooperation that could lead to construction of Jordan's first nuclear power plant based on the Enhanced CANDU 6 (EC-6) reactor and outlines collaboration over a three-year period on engineering and economic studies aimed at demonstrating the technical and economic feasibility of a Candu programme in Jordan.
- by John Shepherd
Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
IAEA Team Prepares To Help Jordan Plan Nuclear Energy (News No. 111, 8 May 2007)
'Speed Up Nuclear Plans' For Jordan, Says King (News in Brief No. 22, 29 August 2007)
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