Site studies begin for Aqaba nuclear plant

AMMAN - The Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) on Tuesday launched environmental and feasibility studies for the location of the Kingdom's first nuclear power plant.

Yesterday marked the first gathering of the implementing parties of the site-selection and characterization study, a two-year process that will examine the proposed site, located in the southern strip of Aqaba, nine kilometres inland and 450 metres above sea level.

Over the next three months, Belgian engineering firm Tractebel-GDF Suez, along with a consortium including the French company Bureau Veritas and Arab Consultants Bureau, will determine whether the site, some 20km outside Aqaba city, will be suitable for the construction of a nuclear power plant.

If the site is confirmed to be suitable, Tractebel and the consortium will commence with the safety and environmental feasibility studies, expected to take around 18 months.

In case the site is deemed not feasible, the JAEC will have identified alternative sites nearby in Aqaba, JAEC Chairman Khaled Toukan said, expressing confidence that the site will meet all international standards.

"The government and the country are very keen on constructing the nuclear power plant as soon as possible to provide electricity in the coming decades," Toukan said at the launch, underlining His Majesty King Abdullah's directives that the peaceful programme proceeds with the "utmost transparency".

The JAEC spent the last year-and-a-half identifying potential sites for the nuclear power plant, expected to be a Generation III reactor with the potential to generate up to 1,000MW of electricity annually.

The number of proposed locations were limited due to water availability, he said, adding that after careful studies, other candidate sites in the Eastern Badia and the northern region were ruled out.

A further site in Wadi Araba to take advantage of the proposed Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project will depend on the progress of the project, according to the commission.

The JAEC selected Aqaba due to the abundant water sources of the nearby Red Sea and the proximity to infrastructure such as the Port of Aqaba and the electrical grid, the chairman said, noting that there are plans in place to establish up to six reactors at the site.

During yesterday's meeting, attended by French Ambassador in Amman Corinne Breuze and Belgian Ambassador Johan Indekeu, Toukan indicated that the JAEC is also considering a proposal to establish two power plants at the site simultaneously. The measure would decrease costs by 20 per cent through utilizing economies of scale, he added.

Meanwhile, international consultants said they were eager to carry out the studies, which will be in line with the International Atomic Energy Agency and US Nuclear Regulatory Commission standards.

"We believe in Jordan and in Jordan's nuclear programme," Tractebel Vice President Luc Resteigne told The Jordan Times, noting that the Belgian firm was attracted to the "transparency and soundness" of the project.

Stressing that Tractebel is "fully independent" from any current and potential service providers, Resteigne said previous experience in building and providing maintenance in Belgium's seven nuclear power plants will aid in examining the potential impact of the Kingdom's nuclear power programme.

Bureau Veritas Nuclear Market Director Didier Bienfait said the French firm "looks forward" to bringing its experience to the project.

The studies will examine demographic and industrial developments in Aqaba over the last 40 years and make projections for the next 60 years in order to anticipate any changes throughout the power plant's life cycle.

The studies will also include seismological standards, demographic growth and flight patterns in the area, among several diverse risk assessments.

Although a fault line of the Jordan Rift Valley runs through the port of Aqaba, the selected site is several kilometres away and is believed not to be affected.

The environmental survey will include complete mapping of the nearby coral reefs and other comprehensive studies on a level "never seen before in Jordan", Arab Consultants Bureau engineer Wa'il Abu-El-Sha'r told The Jordan Times.

According to Resteigne, the consortium will examine the impact of two power plants on the area, while taking into consideration the potential establishment of six reactors at the site in the near future.

All the while, the consortium will send updated reports to the Jordan Nuclear Regulatory Commission (JNRC), he added.

During the launch, Toukan announced that an international consultant will be selected soon to work with the JNRC in evaluating the reports.

The commission is also expected to announce this month the selection of an international firm to assist in the technology selection process.

The firm is expected to assist in selecting a bidder to construct the country's first power plant and establish a nuclear power utility company, a public-private entity, to own and operate the plant.

The Kingdom's peaceful nuclear energy programme is considered central to the country's efforts to energy independence. With future power plants, the energy source has the potential to provide the country with 60 per cent of its energy needs in the next 25 years and eventually transform Jordan into an energy exporter.

The Kingdom currently imports 96 per cent of its energy needs, at a cost of over 20 per cent of its GDP.

By Taylor Luck

© Jordan Times 2009