Jordan seeks nuclear plant cooperation with Korea

Jordan looks forward to opening up cooperation with Korea in the field of civilian nuclear technology, the Jordanian parliament leader said.

"Korea has accumulated advanced technology in the nuclear field," said Abdul Hadi Al-Majali, speaker of the House of Representative in Jordan on Friday. "Jordan has a lot of needs for energy and we are uranium-rich country. The cooperation will be complementary for the energy industry in both countries."

He made a three-day visit to Korea through Saturday at the invitation of National Assembly Speaker Kim Hyong-o. He was accompanied by six parliament members.

Al-Majali said he had discussed the matter while meeting with Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo on Friday.

Jordan`s King Abdullah II and its prime minister will visit Korea before the end of this year to have further discussions, he added.

"I visited the Wolsong nuclear power plant and could see Korea`s expertise on the technology there," Al-Majali said, referring to Korea`s newest atomic power plant in the North Gyeongsang Province.

The Seoul government is seeking to export its atomic technology to Jordan. The two countries are currently negotiating to sign an accord on bilateral nuclear cooperation.

The Amman government is pushing to build a nuclear plant by 2016. The project enjoys the full support of King Abdullah II and is aimed at meeting the increasing domestic demand for electricity. Jordan plans to solicit international bids for the contract by the end of this year. France and Canada are expected to vie for the contract with Korea.

If Korea succeeds in winning the bid, it would be Korea`s first time exporting its civilian atomic technology.

Korea has been one of the few countries to continuously build safe and secure heavy-water reactors. It currently runs 21 nuclear power plants. Due to its technological edge, Korea has exported some technology back to Canada, a pioneer in heavy-water systems.

During their stay here, the Jordanian delegation also toured POSCO, Korea`s steel-making giant, and a shipyard of Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan. The tour offered them an opportunity to examine further possibilities for economic and industrial cooperation between the two countries, Al-Majali said.

The Jordanian government is seeking a range of huge-scale construction projects including the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project and a new harbor project in Aqaba.

Korean companies are seeking to participate in these multi-billion-dollar projects.

The Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project is an international project pursued by Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority to save the Dead Sea, whose water level is dropping. Through the canal project, the participating countries will generate electricity, using the flow of water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. They will also be provided with potable water.

The harbor project is to modernize and expand port facilities in Aqaba, a coastal town in the far south of Jordan.

Al-Majali said he also hopes the two countries will strengthen political ties.

During the visit, he paid a courtesy call on National Assembly Speaker Kim to discuss ways of boosting exchanges between parliamentarians of both countries.

He invited Kim to Jordan in return for his visit to Korea.

By Jin Dae-woong

(davidpooh@heraldm.com)