26 July 2010
Amman -- Jordan and South Korea on Monday signed a $70-million soft loan agreement to help build a nuclear research reactor at an Irbid university in northern Jordan, according to the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation.
The agreement was inked by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Afar Hassan, South Korean Ambassador to the Kingdom Shin Bong-Kill and Executive Director of the Export and Import Bank of Korea (Korea Exurban) Ki-Sub Nam.
The loan is the biggest soft loan from the Korean government with a 0.2 percent interest rate and a grace period of 10 years and will be repaid over 30 years.
Hassan said the project, whose total cost stands at $130 million, is an important keystone for a peaceful Jordanian nuclear program and an integral part of the nuclear technology.
He added that the reactor, which will be built at the Jordan University for Science and Technology JUST, is one of the most cutting-edge and modern research reactors in the region.
" It will be the cornerstone of a national centre for nuclear technology and will help prepare a qualified Jordanian nuclear manpower.", Hassan said.
Turning to ongoing nuclear talks with the United States, the minister said that the Kingdom is currently making serious and positive talks with the U.S to strike a nuclear cooperation deal.
He stressed that the American side takes a positive stance and understands the need to support the Kingdom to develop a peaceful nuclear program to lessen dependence on foreign sources of energy, expressing hope that an accord could be signed soon.
The Kingdom, he noted, is about to seal a cooperation deal with Japan, affirming that there is a broad international understanding of the Kingdom''s need for nuclear energy.
Hassan, who was joined by Chairman of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission JAEC Khaled Toukan, asserted that there are no international veto or reservations that prevent the Kingdom from prssing forward in its peaceful nuclear program.
Toukan told reporters that there were no American reservations over Jordan''s peaceful nuclear program, and noted that the U.S was the first country the Kingdom signed a nuclear memorandum of understanding with.
He added that negotiations with the U.S are ongoing to nail down a nuclear cooperation deal, expecting the pact will be signed within months.
Turning to today''s deal, Toucan said the proposed research reactor is a state-of-the-art world design and aims to prepare adept Jordanian nuclear cadres.
"The 5-megawatt reactor is the cornerstone to train nuclear engineers, physicists, technicians, and will help produce radioactive isotopes for medical use.
" He explained that the Korean consortium, which will build the research reactor, has already began studying the proposed site, adding that the foundation stone of the 56-month project will be laid in November this year and will be operational by 2015 after a year of extensive safety tests.
South Korean Ambassador in Amman Shin Bong-Kill commended Jordanian-Korean ties and said the two countries are keen to bolster cooperation in various domains.
Shin pledged that his country will spare no effort to cement bilateral ties particularly providing financial and technical assistance to the Kingdom to help carry out development projects in various areas.
The research reactor comes within the Kingdom''s efforts to develop a nuclear program for peaceful purposes to desalinate water, generate electricity and turn the Kingdom into an energy exporter by 2030.
Amman -- Jordan and South Korea on Monday signed a $70-million soft loan agreement to help build a nuclear research reactor at an Irbid university in northern Jordan, according to the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation.
The agreement was inked by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Afar Hassan, South Korean Ambassador to the Kingdom Shin Bong-Kill and Executive Director of the Export and Import Bank of Korea (Korea Exurban) Ki-Sub Nam.
The loan is the biggest soft loan from the Korean government with a 0.2 percent interest rate and a grace period of 10 years and will be repaid over 30 years.
Hassan said the project, whose total cost stands at $130 million, is an important keystone for a peaceful Jordanian nuclear program and an integral part of the nuclear technology.
He added that the reactor, which will be built at the Jordan University for Science and Technology JUST, is one of the most cutting-edge and modern research reactors in the region.
" It will be the cornerstone of a national centre for nuclear technology and will help prepare a qualified Jordanian nuclear manpower.", Hassan said.
Turning to ongoing nuclear talks with the United States, the minister said that the Kingdom is currently making serious and positive talks with the U.S to strike a nuclear cooperation deal.
He stressed that the American side takes a positive stance and understands the need to support the Kingdom to develop a peaceful nuclear program to lessen dependence on foreign sources of energy, expressing hope that an accord could be signed soon.
The Kingdom, he noted, is about to seal a cooperation deal with Japan, affirming that there is a broad international understanding of the Kingdom''s need for nuclear energy.
Hassan, who was joined by Chairman of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission JAEC Khaled Toukan, asserted that there are no international veto or reservations that prevent the Kingdom from prssing forward in its peaceful nuclear program.
Toukan told reporters that there were no American reservations over Jordan''s peaceful nuclear program, and noted that the U.S was the first country the Kingdom signed a nuclear memorandum of understanding with.
He added that negotiations with the U.S are ongoing to nail down a nuclear cooperation deal, expecting the pact will be signed within months.
Turning to today''s deal, Toucan said the proposed research reactor is a state-of-the-art world design and aims to prepare adept Jordanian nuclear cadres.
"The 5-megawatt reactor is the cornerstone to train nuclear engineers, physicists, technicians, and will help produce radioactive isotopes for medical use.
" He explained that the Korean consortium, which will build the research reactor, has already began studying the proposed site, adding that the foundation stone of the 56-month project will be laid in November this year and will be operational by 2015 after a year of extensive safety tests.
South Korean Ambassador in Amman Shin Bong-Kill commended Jordanian-Korean ties and said the two countries are keen to bolster cooperation in various domains.
Shin pledged that his country will spare no effort to cement bilateral ties particularly providing financial and technical assistance to the Kingdom to help carry out development projects in various areas.
The research reactor comes within the Kingdom''s efforts to develop a nuclear program for peaceful purposes to desalinate water, generate electricity and turn the Kingdom into an energy exporter by 2030.
© Jordan News Agency - Petra 2010
