Jordan to buy French nuclear reactor

AMMAN, JORDAN - Energy-poor Jordan said it plans to buy a nuclear reactor from a French firm to help the tiny desert kingdom generate power.

"Jordan is in the process of signing an agreement with a French company to purchase a nuclear reactor," Prime Minister Nader Dahabi told a French parliamentary delegation.

"The reactor will provide Jordan with electricity and enriched uranium for peaceful use," Dahabi was quoted as saying by the state-run Petra news agency. The French firm will also provide training for the staff.

The prime minister did not elaborate.

His announcement comes ahead of a visit by King Abdullah II to France for talks with President Nicolas Sarkozy on bilateral cooperation and Middle East issues, according to the palace.

"The king's trip will be of special significance," said Dahabi.

Jordan and France signed a nuclear cooperation agreement in May.

Jordanian officials have said that French nuclear giant Areva could extract around 130,000 tonnes of uranium from Jordan's 1.2 billion tonnes of phosphate reserves and build a nuclear reactor.

Jordan, home to around six million people, has already reached nuclear cooperation deals with the United States and China, and hopes to approve similar pacts with Canada and South Korea.

With few natural resources to rely on, Jordan is seeking to find alternative energy sources, using nuclear power to generate electricity and desalinate water.

The country, which imports around 95 percent of its energy needs, aims to bring its first nuclear plant on line by 2015. Officials have said they hope nuclear power will supply 30 percent of energy production by 2030.

Jordan is the latest Sunni Arab country, including Egypt and pro-Western Gulf states, to announce plans for nuclear power programmes in the face of Shiite Iran's controversial atomic drive.

Related News

FPL Proposes Significant Rate Hikes Over Four Years

FPL Proposes Significant Rate Hikes Over Four Years

MIAMI - Florida Power & Light (FPL), the state's largest utility provider, has submitted a proposal to the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) seeking a substantial increase in customer base rates over the next four years. The plan outlines a total rate hike of approximately $9 billion from 2026 through 2029, driven by factors such as rapid residential growth and the necessity to diversify energy generation sources.

Rationale Behind the Rate Increase

FPL's request is primarily influenced by Florida's robust population growth. Since 2021, the utility has added about 275,000 customers and projects an additional 335,000 by the end of…

READ MORE
San Diego Gas & Electric

Utilities commission changes community choice exit fees; what happens now in San Diego?

READ MORE

Opp Leader calls for electricity market overhaul to favor consumers over generators

READ MORE

hydro quebec exports

Electricity exports to New York from Quebec will happen as early as 2025: Hydro-Quebec

READ MORE

Why the Texas Power Grid Is Facing Another Crisis

READ MORE