AMMAN, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Jordan said Tuesday it was going with its peaceful nuclear program to generate electricity, the state-run Petra news agency reported.
Addressing the 4th Arab forum on electricity generation and water desalination through nuclear energy, Khaled Toukan, chairman of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission, said Jordan has made several strides in the field of nuclear energy and launched a nuclear research center to help train Jordanian engineers and experts in the field.
Toukan said that challenges in the field of water and energy have direct impact on the growth of economies.
He stressed that nuclear energy was key in addressing challenges in these areas to overcome shortages in energy resources and water.
Early 2017, Jordan and Russia have floated tenders to attract bids for supplying turbines and electrical systems for the kingdom's first nuclear power plant.
Jordan and Russia will secure 1.5 billion U.S. dollars each for building the plant, which is estimated to cost 10 billion dollars. The rest will be financed by banks and funds.
In March 2015, Jordan signed an inter-governmental agreement with Russia to build and operate the nuclear power plant. Russia's Rosatom will own 49 percent of the project.
The first reactor is expected to be operational in 2025.
Energy-poor Jordan imports about 97 percent of its energy needs annually.
Experts at the event stressed on the importance of nuclear energy in the Arab world and called for increased training of human resources in the field.
They added that nuclear energy was also vital to contribute to the development of Arab countries and supporting their economies.
The experts highlighted that nuclear energy was contributing to the overall energy mix in several countries across the world.
