Jordan Times
Monday, April 23, 2007
MPs approve nuclear bill
AMMAN — The Lower House on Sunday endorsed bills on atomic energy as well as the safety and protection
from nuclear radiation that will lay the legal foundation for developing a peaceful nuclear programme to
meet Jordan’s growing energy needs.
The atomic energy draft law defines the responsibilities of a nuclear commission, set up by the government
six years ago.
According to the bill, a board of directors headed by the minister of energy will run the commission. The
director general will be a Jordanian appointed and dismissed by Royal Decree.
The commission’s duties include transferring technology of peaceful nuclear energy use and setting up
investment projects in the field for electricity generation and water desalination, as well as in the
agriculture sector and medical industry.
It will also establish research centres to develop peaceful nuclear programmes and be responsible for the
terms of reference for mining nuclear material, such as uranium and thorium.
Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khalid Touqan told deputies
that Jordan needed to create an independent body to monitor the activities of the commission to make sure
they are in line with international regulations to protect the environment from nuclear radiation.
The safety and protection from nuclear radiation draft law allows for the establishment of this commission,
which would be directly linked to the Prime Ministry.
“Creating the safety commission is a precondition. We cannot have our peaceful nuclear programme approved
without establishing this body,” said Touqan.
Meanwhile, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Khalid Shraideh said energy requirements grew by 20 per
cent over the past year alone.
Jordan currently imports nearly 95 per cent of its energy from neighbouring Arab countries.
In addition to generating electricity, the government plans to use nuclear energy to power water desalination
plants. The Kingdom is ranked among the 10 most water-impoverished countries in the world, with an annual deficit
of 500 million cubic metres.
Earlier this month, Mohammad Al Baradei, head of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),
expressed his support for the Kingdom’s efforts to develop a peaceful nuclear programme and said a team of experts
would be dispatched to the Kingdom within weeks to discuss the details of the project.
“Jordan, which adopts a moderate policy, will provide an example in the region for the exploitation of nuclear
know-how for peaceful uses,” the IAEA chief said.
During talks with Baradei, King Abdullah said Jordan, an IAEA member and a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty, will become a model for the peaceful use of nuclear energy in line with international rules.