Mississauga's Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) is one of three final competitors being considered to build Jordan’s first nuclear generating station.
The Jordan Atomic Energy Commission selected AECL’s Enhanced Candu 6 reactors for a further look, after looking at five initial proposals.
A Russian reactor and a joint French-Japanese venture are also in the running.
AECL, which has its corporate offices in the Sheridan Science and Technology Park, has proposed building two enhanced Candu 6 700-megawatt reactors, said Ala Alizadeh, vice president of marketing and business development for AECL.
They are upgraded versions of a pair of units that AECL completed in Qinshan, China in 2003.
In the first stage of the competition “the primary focus was technology,” Alizadeh said.
The next stage will get into more detailed discussions about how the reactors would be constructed, and how they’d be financed.
That should wrap up by the end of the year, when the Jordanians are expected to select a single candidate with whom to negotiate a firm contract.
Jordan has its own supply of uranium, and could develop its own facilities to manufacture fuel for the reactor, he said.
AECL is emphasizing the fact that its proposal is for two smaller reactors rather than a single large unit.
Jordan’s whole electric grid only uses 2,000 megawatts of power, Alizadeh said. If a single, 1,000-megawatt goes out of service, that leaves a big hole to fill with reserve power.
Jordan has signed a nuclear co-operation agreement with Canada.
AECL has about 4,000 employees in Canada, about half of whom work in Mississauga.
