Korea Wins $178 Mil. Deal to Build Jordan’s Nuclear Reactor
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
A Korean consortium has won a 200 billion won or $178 million contract to build Jordan's first small-scale nuclear reactor, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said Thursday.
The deal represents Korea's second deal to export a locally-designed nuclear plant following a $20 billion contract with the United Arab Emirates.
The consortium, made up of the Korea Atomic Energy Institute (KAERI), and Daewoo Engineering and Construction, was named as the preferred bidder last month to build the five-megawatt reactor at Jordan University of Science and Technology in Irbid, 70 kilometers north of Amman, with construction to be completed by 2014.
The consortium edged out three other international companies, including Argentina's INVAP, China's CNNC and Russia's Atom Story Export to be selected by the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission as the preferred bidder. Ministry officials said the formal contract is expected to be inked around March.
"The letter of acceptance was signed Sunday, and although it has yet to arrive here, the content of it was forwarded to KAERI and Daewoo," a ministry official said.
Research reactors, also called non-power reactors, are nuclear reactors that serve primarily as a neutron source and are used for research purposes, in contrast to power reactors, which are used for electricity production or submarine propulsion.
The neutrons produced by research reactors are used for non-destructive testing, analysis of materials, production of radioisotopes, research and education.
Currently, there are about 240 research reactors operating around the world, and 50 new ones are expected to be completed within the next 15 years, ministry officials said.