‘Jordan mulls building $140m facility to produce yellowcake’

AMMAN — Jordan will start studies related to the water, power and infrastructure needs of a $140 million fa-cility for production of yellowcake in 2016, according to Samer Kahook, general manager of the state-owned Jordan Uranium Mining Company.

The study will help identify all needs of the facility, which will be located in the central region, including logistics, he said in a recent interview with The Jordan Times.

The factory, Kahook said, will help ensure security of supply not only for Jordan but for countries in the region that are already planning and are in the process of building nuclear reactors.

“By 2020, when the facility is operational, Jordan will be one of the countries that produce yellowcake commercially.”

The mega-plant, which will be designed by Jordanian manpower, will produce about 300-400 metric tonnes of yellowcake annually in its initial phase and its capacity can be later expanded to 1,500 tonnes a year, said Kahook.

The central area of Jordan, about 80 kilometres south of Amman, is home to 36,389 metric tonnes of uranium oxide that is easily mined and can be extracted cost effectively. 

This volume, which is likely to be increased as exploration is ongoing, is enough to provide nuclear fuel for Jordan’s two planned reactors with a 1,000 megawatt capacity each for 130 years.

“Egypt is planning to build nuclear reactors. Many Gulf countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia also have plans in this regard. Turkey is also working on building nuclear reactors. This factory can ensure supply to these states,” Kahook said.

There currently are about 400 operational nuclear reactors across the world and by 2020, more than 70 additional nuclear reactors will start operations, which will boost demand for yellowcake.

The Kingdom, which imports 97 per cent of its annual energy needs, is planning to build a nuclear power plant with two reactors with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts each. The reactors are expected to be ready by 2022 and are expected to cost around $10 billion. 

Russia is a strategic partner and a preferred bidder in the nuclear reactor project.