Jordan to have first nuclear reactor in 2015

This is another nice economic article by the Oxford Business Group. Short, concise and based on facts and figures. This one provides an insight to the aspirations Jordan has for developing a nuclear energy programme for electricity generation. This is the full text of the article

Jordan has reaffirmed its commitment to developing a nuclear energy programme, one that will meet much of the kingdom's own needs for electricity as well as some of its neighbours' energy requirements.

Jordan flagged its intention to join the nuclear club at the beginning of the year, with King Abdullah II announcing the country wanted to develop a peaceful nuclear capacity and the government had been holding talks with Western countries over the issue.

On August 27, the government put flesh to those plans, unveiling its draft nuclear programme following a meeting of the Higher Committee for Nuclear Strategy in Amman.

Chairing the meeting, King Abdullah said Jordan would be a model in the region for the peaceful use of nuclear energy, abiding by international rules. The country has to seek alternative energy sources to reduce its dependence on imported energy, he said.

"Energy represents the main challenge and we must think about radical long-term solutions," local media quoted the king as saying during the meeting.

Under the strategy, Jordan is to have its first nuclear reactor up and running by 2015, with more to be built in the years leading up to 2030. By that date, according to the strategy, 30% of the kingdom's electricity needs will be met by nuclear power stations, with excess production to be made available for export.

Currently, Jordan has to import 95% of its fossil fuel requirements, the source of most of the country's electricity. These imports impose a drain on the Jordanian economy that amounted to $2.7bn in 2006, around 20% its gross domestic product.

Mahmoud Al Eess, the planning chief at the ministry of energy and mineral wealth, said nuclear energy was a suitable option to bridge the gap in the kingdom's energy needs and the initial steps had been taken to develop a nuclear power industry.

"It was decided to build a 400 megawatt nuclear reactor in the initial stage with several reactors to follow with equal capacity - with a view to expand production and acquire the capacity to export extra energy at some stage in the future," Al Eess said in an interview with local press on August 28.

Jordan's minister for scientific research and education, Khaled Tuqan, said becoming a nuclear energy producer would result in a radical change in the country's economy.

"This would shift Jordan from being an energy importing country to an energy producing country in 2030 by providing power at reduced costs in the industry and service sectors to support economic growth," Tuqan said on August 27.

Apart from electricity production, other aspects of Jordan's nuclear programme were outlined, including the processing of nuclear waste and research funding for the project. Jordan hopes that at least some of the cost of the development will be met through foreign loans and aid, though how much has not been specified.

Jordan has also enlisted the help of Kazakhstan in its bid to develop its nuclear energy industry. A joint agreement signed in early August set out the terms for co-operation in a number of sectors including mineral exploration that could see Kazakhstan assist in the mining of Jordan's uranium resources.

And though lacking many natural resources, Jordan does have uranium, at least 80,000 tonnes of proven reserves with a further 100,000 tonnes contained in phosphate deposits, according to an official estimate issued in May. These reserves, which amount to around 2% of the world's total, would easily be enough to fuel Jordan's nuclear ambitions.

While providing the power to keep the lights burning, at least part of the energy generated by Jordan's proposed nuclear facilities will be used to meet another of the kingdom's pressing needs: water. The government has announced that it will build a number of desalination plants, to be powered by electricity, to help overcome the shortage of water.

Jordan, which is a signatory of the international nuclear non-proliferation treaty, is also working with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on a nuclear power and desalination feasibility study, with the results to be released in 2008.

In April, while on a visit to Amman, IAEA director general Mohamed El Baradei endorsed Jordan's nuclear aspirations, saying, "Jordan, which adopts a moderate policy, will provide an example in the region for the exploitation of nuclear know-how for peaceful uses."

Though developing a nuclear energy programme is an expensive business, one that will put a strain on the Jordanian budget, Amman is obviously looking to the future, both to meet the country's own needs to generate electricity and to generate export income.