Following a dispute over the details of their joint contract, the Jordanian government has parted ways with the french company AREVA
Back in 2010, the Jordanian government granted exclusive uranium extraction rights for nuclear energy to the French company AREVA. It has now been announced that the mining license has been cancelled following a dispute over whether the license covered prospecting or both exploration and mining. Given the exclusive nature of the contract, Greenpeace are now calling on the government to clarify whether this “announcement means the end of all urnanium mining plans.” And if there is no uranium to supply their nuclear power plants, is there still a future for Jordan’s nuclear ambitions?
In a public statement Greenpeace said: “The dispute between the company and the Jordanian government… leads us to question the facts related to the deal itself and the planning processes involved in approving uranium extraction, which poses unacceptable health and environmental risks. ”
The Jordan Atomic Energy Commission has previously claimed that local uranium will be used in the planned nuclear energy reactor. However, Greenpeace are now calling on the government to announce the full cancellation of the reator bidding process now that its clear that nuclear power will only deepen foreign dependence for energy generation.
“As Fukushima and Chernobyl have shown, nuclear power poses an unacceptable risk to the environment and to human health,” Greenpeace said in a statment. “Clean renewable energy solutions are available to generate power and help Jordan to secure its energy needs.” According to a report in the Jordan Times, AREVA’s departure marks a setback to Jordan’s uranium mining aspirations, which were to help fuel up to four planned 1,000-megawatt nuclear reactors to wean the country off energy imports.
For more on Jordan’s Nuclear Plans see:
King Abdullah: Israel Is Disrupting Jordan’s Nuclear Plans
Jordan Suspends Its Nuclear Plans Amid Controversy
Jordanians Step Up Nuclear Protests
Jordan Plunges Itself Into A Pit of Shale Oil Hell
: Image of camels in Wadi Rum via Shutterstock.com
