The Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) has shortlisted Russia's Atomstroyexport and a French-Japanese consortia consisting of Areva and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to potentially build the country's first nuclear reactor.
The JAEC said Areva, the world's biggest maker of nuclear plants, was leading a consortium proposing the new generation Atmea nuclear reactor, while Russia's Atomstroyexport put forward the AES-92 VVER-1,000 MW reactor.
"Following a thorough examination, the offers provided by Russia's Atomstroyexport and a consortium by France's Areva and Japan's Mitsubishi were the best proposals that meet Jordan's requirements," the JAEC said in a statement. "Talks with these companies will continue to address some technical issues, including the exact location of the plant." Officials say it might take three years to chose the contractor, and an additional four or five years to build the plant.
Meanwhile, Jordan faces a "tremendous" energy supply challenge, according to the JAEC.
"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 energy source," JAEC Chairman Khaled Touqan said, quoted by Petra.