Jordan, France to sign uranium deal next week

Jordan and France will sign an agreement next week for the mining of the kingdom's uranium reserves, Jordan Times has reported. The Jordan French Uranium Mining Co, a joint venture between French mining company Areva and Jordan Energy Resources Inc., has been operating within a 1,400-square-kilometre concession area. The resource is vital to the kingdom's nuclear energy programme, which is expected to provide up to 30% of Jordan's electricity by 2025. The country's first nuclear power plant, a 1,000 megawatt Generation III reactor, is expected to be built in a location in Aqaba, inland and west of the port city, within the next decade.