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Greenpeace launches campaign to highlight nuclear energy alternatives

By Hana Namrouqa - Aug 21,2014 - Last updated at Aug 21,2014

AMMAN — Greenpeace volunteers have launched a “peaceful campaign” in front of a solar station in south Amman, demanding that the government switch its energy plans from nuclear to renewable.

The volunteers placed a large banner on the rooftop of the solar plant in Qastal that depicts the symbols of solar and nuclear energy with a “greater than” sign pointing towards the former. 

“The message of the banner reflects the public’s demand to switch from dangerous nuclear energy to clean solar energy,” Omar Qubain, Greenpeace’s Arab world regional volunteers coordinator, said on Thursday.

In April last year, Greenpeace Jordan started collecting signatures from people opposed to the construction of a nuclear plant for a petition to be sent to the Prime Ministry.

The organisation’s goal at the time was to collect 15,000 signatures, but the number exceeded 20,000 from people inside and outside Jordan, Qubain said.

“This reflects people’s opinions and stands towards the plans to establish a nuclear plant in Jordan,” Qubain told The Jordan Times over the phone.

He noted that the banner on the solar station’s rooftop does not send a message rejecting the nuclear programme, but reminds decision makers that there are viable alternatives to nuclear energy.

“It is clear that the global investment trend is moving towards renewable energy sources… all we need now is a vision and serious plans from our politicians to adopt the transition to clean energy, under which individuals can generate their own energy,” Qubain underlined.

He added that the Greenpeace report on Jordan’s energy future presented several scenarios the Kingdom can follow to avoid going ahead with the nuclear programme.

The report indicated that renewable energy resources, especially solar power, can provide 60 times more than Jordan’s projected electricity consumption in 2050.

The Kingdom’s nuclear power programme, which calls for the establishment of a 1,000-megawatt nuclear reactor by the end of the next decade, entails the construction of up to four plants to produce over half the country’s electricity needs.

The country’s first nuclear power plant is to be operated under a public-private partnership, a joint venture under which the government would own a 26-51 per cent equity share in the plant.

Nuclear proponents cite Jordan’s ongoing struggle for energy independence and the unreliability of Egyptian gas supplies among the reasons to accelerate Amman’s nuclear drive.

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