Jordan's Cabinet has approved the formation of the board of directors of the Jordan Nuclear Power Company, which will be responsible for building Jordan's first nuclear power plant. In October 2013, Jordan contracted Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom to build two 1000MWe VVER reactors at a cost of $10bn.
The Chairman of the Jordanian Atomic Energy Commission, Dr Khaled Touqan, told Petra news agency, that the committee will meet every year to review the annual achievements in the nuclear programme. The Committee will work to determine global trends of nuclear energy, and evaluate the Jordanian steps in this regard. It will also provide advice on the Jordanian strategy for dealing with nuclear waste and financing mechanisms of the Jordanian nuclear plant project, said Touqan.
The government also approved the formation of the higher consultative committee for the Jordanian nuclear programme that will comprise seven international members. The committee will be headed by former prime minister Marouf Al Bakhit.
Under the deal with Russia, Jordan must buy fuel from Rosatom for the reactors for 10 years, after which it may seek other suppliers. Rosatom's reactor export subsidiary atomstroyexport (ASE) is to supply two AES-92 nuclear units under a build-own-operate arrangement, while Rusatom Overseas will be strategic partner and effectively the operator of the plant through a joint venture. Rusatom Overseas will contribute 49.9% of the project's $10 billion cost, with the state-owned Jordan Nuclear Power Co (JNPC) being responsible for the controlling 50.1%.
