Jordan, Canada sign memorandum for civilian nuclear cooperation

Jun 28, 2008, 15:21 GMT

Amman - Jordan and Canada on Saturday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation in the field of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) chairman Khalid Touqan said.

Touqan said the MOU covered a range of areas of cooperation designed to 'assist Jordan in assessing the feasibility of the introduction of a CANDU (Canada Deuterium Uranium) nuclear power programme.'

Touqan said that he signed the MOU with the visiting president of the CANDU reactor division at the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), Ken Petrunik, and the president of the SNC-Lavalin International group, Ron Denom.

'An agreement on nuclear cooperation between the two countries will be signed at the end of the year,' he added.

'AECL's EC-6 reactor is the ideal size for compatibility with Jordan's electricity grid, and with its natural uranium fuel cycle and fuel conversion capability,' Petrunik said.

Touqan predicted that Jordan would start utilization of nuclear energy in the generation of electricity as of 2016.

'Jordan is currently negotiating with three international firms to conduct a feasibility study for producing uranium from Jordanian ores,' he said.

This is the second agreement to be signed between Jordan and a Western country to develop a civilian nuclear programme.

The Hashemite kingdom signed a nuclear cooperation accord with France on May 31.

Jordan and other Arab countries decided to obtain their own peaceful nuclear programmes after Iran adamantly went ahead in its drive to possess nuclear technology.