A leader of Russia's state-controlled nuclear firm Rosatom said last week that he expects negotiations to build two reactors in Jordan will be complete by the end of this summer.
Speaking at a conference, Rusatom Overseas Director General Dzhomart Aliyev said a project development document and a separate intergovernmental agreement are progressing. Russian news agency ITAR-TASS quoted him as saying they are nearly ready for signing. They stem from a tender won by Rosatom in October.
The Areva/Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Atmea reactor, the Candu EC6 and Rosatom's 1,000-megawatt AES-92 had been shortlisted for the two-unit plant in 2010, according to the World Nuclear Association. Russia would provide 49.9 percent of the project capital, with the Jordanian government raising the rest. Jordan has indicated it plans to make a final decision to proceed in late 2015, with the first unit slated to begin producing power in 2021. If it moves forward, Rosatom would handle the project on a build-own-operate basis. The site of the plant, which would be Jordan's first, has not been finalized. Jordan's longer-range energy plans have envisioned additional large reactors for power production and water desalination, potentially in addition to several small modular reactors.