AMMAN (Petra) - The Joint Higher Jordanian-French Steering Committee convened on Thursday to draw up a nuclear strategy and look into mechanisms to foster cooperation between the two sides.

At the meeting, co-chaired by Jordan Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Khaled Toukan and Director General for Energy and Climate in France Pierre-Franck Chevet, Toukan said the committee was formed after signing an agreement on nuclear cooperation and a protocol between Jordan and France last year during His Majesty King Abdullah's visit to France.

Toukan added that five working teams were formed under the committee, including a group tasked with the issue of funding the proposed project, especially uranium mining and the building of a nuclear power generation plant in the Kingdom.

Another team is concerned with nuclear fuel, Toukan said, adding that its job is focused on nuclear cycle and nuclear waste management.

Toukan added that the third team is working on safety management and regulation in nuclear facilities, noting that work is under way to form a joint taskforce to coordinate work between the Jordan Nuclear Regulatory Commission (JNRC) and its French counterpart.

The fourth team created is tasked with looking into the selection of best technologies necessary to conduct studies, said Toukan.

He added that the French government extended 500,000 euros as a grant to the National Electric Power Company and the JNRC to carry out studies on the capacity of the power network and feasibility of using reactors with the capacity of 1,000-megawatt to generate power in Jordan.

The fifth working team focuses on training and rehabilitating Jordanian human resources.

He said French companies, especially AREVA, in addition to French universities and technical institutes will train Jordanian engineers, chemists, geologists and physicists on issues related to joint projects, mining of uranium or building nuclear energy reactors in Jordan.

France’s Ambassador to Jordan Denys Gauer said the French side will train several Jordanian technicians in the field of nuclear energy in 2009 and will help in drafting the necessary legislation to implement the Jordanian nuclear programme.