Jordan has enough uranium for developing nuclear energy: minister

[TexasLawyer]

Source: Xinhua

12:54, May 06, 2007
Jordan has enough uranium for developing nuclear energy: minister

Jordan's Energy Minister Khaled al-Shraydeh said on Saturday that his country has the uranium needed to develop its recently announced nuclear energy program, but still needs necessary legislation and technical personnel to implement the plan.

It's estimated that Jordan can extract 80,000 tons of uranium from its uranic ores, and the country's phosphate reserves also contain some 100,000 tons of uranium, al-Shraydeh was cited by the official Petra News Agency as saying.

Meanwhile, the minister said Jordan is willing to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency and wishes to win the nuclear watchdog's support.

In January, Jordan's King Abdullah II announced a civil nuclear energy program, saying the country was seeking an alternative energy to generate electricity and desalinate sea water.

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Read more: http://english.people.com.cn/200705/06/eng20070506_372367.html

[MadMaddie]

1. So I guess the * cabal will want to add Jordan to their list of

countries to bomb? Just askin...

[Redstone]

2. Well, good for them. It would be nice for them to have some cheap power.

Especially because they really COULD use some desalination capability, which would take a lot of pressure off the "water wars" in that area.

I want to go to Jordan some day. I want to see Petra, at dawn, before anyone else gets there.

Redstone

[sutz12]

3. Funny how all of these middle eastern countries are all of a sudden interested in nuke power

Peak oil, anyone?

The Repubs have been accusing Iran of wanting weapons and maybe so. But what if they just want nuke power? As a major oil producer, why would they want or need an alternative power source?

This is what I'm taking away from the whole Iran standoff. They're looking for alternative energy. We're still trying to maintain the whole "cheap gas forever" paradigm. Meahwhile, the standoff and political crisis is an easy scapegoat to blame high oil prices on, when the real culprit is probably peak oil. Certainly, Iraq will not be pumping any oil in meaningful quantities any time soon. I would be surprised if gas prices get anywhere near $2 again. We're likely looking at $3+ gas prices forever.

Funny how nobody is offering them cheap solar power, or other alternatives. Their sun profile must look like the American Southwest. They could build thousands of square miles of solar farms. Why is it all focused on oil?

[NNadir]

5. Jordan has never had much oil.

However the Jordanian nuclear program will displace the imported fossil fuels that Jordan now uses.

This is desirable.

[theoldman]

4. The bottom line is that eventually almost every country will

use nuclear energy and own atomic weapons. Think back when only a few countries had guns and the others only had spears. Were we better off?

[NNadir]

6. Nonsense. The vast majority of nulcear power nations do not have nuclear

weapons.

Off the top of my head here are some I can list: Sweden, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Slovakia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Japan, Argentina, Mexico, Taiwan, South Korea, and Canada.

Two nations that have no commercial nuclear power, on the other hand, do possess nuclear weapons: Israel and North Korea.

The following nations had nuclear weapons before they had commercial nuclear power:

The United States, Russia, Britain, France and China.

The link between nuclear power and nuclear weapons is therefore at best tenuous, and is a result of poor critical thinking on the part of the public.

Jordan has no intention of developing nuclear weapons and is pursuing its nuclear power program in accordance with international law and in close co-operation with the IAEA. This is exactly how it should be.

[sutz12]

7. We should all hope not in both cases..

Nuclear is a poor substitute, owing to the waste problems mainly.

We, meaning the whole world, need clean alternatives. Good god, why can't solar make it in the middle east? They have 300 days a year, and lots of open desert to build on. They should be screaming to put solar on every building in the country. :shrug:

[TexasLawyer]

8. Bangladesh wants nuclear power too

Bangladesh seeks India's help to set up nuke reactor

New Delhi, May 7 (PTI): Bangladesh has sought India's help for setting up a 600 MW nuclear power plant to meet its growing energy needs.

"We have approached India for help to set up a nuclear power plant," said Hamid Khan, a senior scientist in the Atomic Energy Centre run by the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC).

The Bangladesh government had earlier approached a European nation for supplying nuclear reactors but later chose India as it was "closer to home", he said.

"Talks are on at the government level," Khan said.

The neighbouring country is facing a power shortfall of over 1,500 MW and hopes to meet the demand through alternative sources like atomic energy.

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http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200705070341.htm