12 May (NucNet): The competition to build Jordan’s first nuclear power unit has been narrowed down to three reactor technologies, the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) said today.
The reactors chosen by the commission are: Atomic Energy of Canada Limited’s Candu-6 (700 megawatts); Atomstroyexport of Russia’s AES-92 VVER-1000; and the 1,100 megawatt Atmea-1 from a joint venture between France’s Areva and Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
JAEC chairman Khaled Toukan the announcement of the top three vendors is another milestone in Jordan’s nuclear energy programme. “It comes two weeks after JAEC announced that a preliminary report has found the proposed site in southern Jordan to be geologically suitable,” he said.
JAEC confirmed that the vendors were chosen from seven initial offers earlier this year, and said that in tandem with Worley Parsons, the Australian pre-construction technical consultancy company, it would now “engage the three vendors in the coming months to conduct additional technical and economic evaluation”.
The competitive dialogue process is due to start in June 2010, with a final decision on the most suitable reactor technology expected to be completed within a year.
First discussions with vendors will focus on the specifics of the technology. Later on, the dialogue will focus on the financing and organisational support that the vendor will be providing for operation of the plant.
>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
South Korean Consortium Signs Jordan Research Reactor Deal (News In Brief No. 64, 6 April 2010)
US Nuclear Regulators To Provide Training Programmes For Jordan (News In Brief No. 60, 30 March 2010)
USD 11 Million Pre-Construction Contract Signed For Proposed Jordan Plant (News In Brief No. 146, 16 November 2009)
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