December 5, 2009
SEOUL (AFP) - South Korea on Friday hailed its first export of an atomic reactor, saying the deal with Jordan would spur future overseas sales of nuclear technology.
Government officials said a South Korean consortium has won a deal worth about 173 million dollars to build a five megawatt multi-purpose reactor at the Jordan University for Sciences and Technology by 2014.
Jordan will use the reactor for scientific research before introducing its own nuclear power plants, they said.
The consortium led by the state-run Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute was chosen as priority negotiating partner over firms from Argentina, China and Russia, said Education and Science Minister Ahn Byong-Man.
It will be the country's first export of a nuclear reactor, he said.
"We have achieved a brilliant feat in the history of our nuclear development," Ahn said, adding the deal would help South Korea become a major player in the world research reactor market.
South Korea, which operates 20 commercial reactors, has few natural energy sources and already uses nuclear power stations to provide 40 percent of its power needs.
