French research facilities to welcome Jordanians

02 June 2017

Jordanian researchers will have access to the research reactors and ancillary facilities of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) following the recent signing of a partnership agreement with the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC).

CEA-JAEC - May 2017 - 460 (CEA)
The signing of the agreement (Image: CEA)

CEA said the main aim of the agreement, signed on 24 May, is to develop collaborative research programs in support of the research and development (R&D) and training objectives of the Jordanians.

The agreement was signed under the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA's) International Centre based on Research Reactors (ICERR) program.

In 2015, CEA's nuclear research centres in Saclay and Cadarache became the first to be designated international research hubs under a scheme launched by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the previous year. The designation period covers 2015 to 2020.

CEA has signed similar agreements with Morocco, Tunisia, Slovenia, Indonesia and Algeria, giving them access to the Saclay and Cadarache facilities through the ICERR program. CEA plans to welcome 15-20 international researchers per year to the two sites.

The ICERR program will contribute to enhancing utilisation of the Jordanian Test and Research Reactor (JRTR) and associated scientific equipment in Jordan, CEA said. It will also help to develop innovative nuclear technologies while encouraging cooperation.

The 5 MWt JRTR was built for the JAEC by a consortium headed by the Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute with Daewoo at the Jordan University for Science and Technology. Construction of the reactor began in 2010, and Korea's Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning declared it complete last December. The reactor will be used for R&D, education and training and to produce medical and industrial radioisotopes.

The IAEA says its ICERR program is intended to help Member States gain timely access to relevant infrastructure based on research reactor facilities to achieve the nuclear R&D and capacity building objectives relevant to their identified national priorities. It also allows participating research reactors in the framework of ICERR scheme to coordinate and rationalise their offer of facilities, resources and services to interested Member States.

The Russian Research Institute of Atomic Reactors State Scientific Centre was designated as the second ICERR in September 2016. The Institute, located near the southern Russian city of Dimitrovgrad, has six research reactors and also performs post-irradiation examination of nuclear reactor core components, irradiated material and irradiated fuel samples.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News