By Xinhua,
Amman : Energy-thirsty Jordan on Sunday discussed with French nuclear giant Areva plans to join hands to build a nuclear plant in the kingdom.
Talks between Jordan’s Prime Minister Nader Dahabi and visiting Areva CEO Anne Lauvergeon covered a timetable for the project, Areva’s key role in helping Jordan raise sufficient funds for construction, and operation of the nuclear power facility.
The two sides also discussed to establish a French university in the port city of Ababa to train Jordanians in fields including nuclear energy, information technology and applied sciences.
Jordan has signed an agreement with Areva on uranium exploration and mining last month. Areva was reported to embark on a uranium project in Jordan in November.
Unlike its oil-rich neighbors, Jordan lacks energy resources. It imports 95 percent of its energy consumption, which annually costs nearly a quarter of its revenue, according to official data.
In January 2007, Jordan’s King Abdullah II announced a civil nuclear energy program, under which a nuclear plant will be set up by 2015 and nuclear power is expected to make up 30 percent of its energy production by 2030.
It is estimated that Jordan can extract 80,000 tons of uranium from its uranic ores and the country’s phosphate reserves also contain some 100,000 tons of uranium, according to official data.