Jordan shortlists two firms for nuclear plant

Amman, April 29, 2012

The Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) has shortlisted two offers presented by Russian Atomstroyexport and a French-Japanese consortia to build the kingdom's nuclear reactor.

The commission said it has completed evaluation of the viable technology options, with a decision to continue discussions with the best two qualified suppliers, Russian Atomstroyexport and French-Japanese consortium ATMEA, Petra news agency reported.

It said the evaluation took into account the highest safety requirements, including lessons from the Fukushima event.

The JAEC noted that Jordan has been facing tremendous energy supply challenges, which triggered a programme to investigate the feasibility of diversifying its energy supplies through the introduction of nuclear power, the report said.

The commission will continue discussions with the best two qualified suppliers to resolve certain outstanding technical issues, including the site selection process, it said.

Chairman of the JAEC Khaled Touqan said: "While there remains significant work yet to be done with respect the project, JAEC is proud of the progress made thus far, which marks a significant milestone for ... Jordan in its pursuit of a safe, secure, reliable and economically competitive enegy source."

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