Rolls-Royce to conduct SMR study for Jordan

Rolls-Royce said today it has signed a memorandum of understanding with state-owned Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) to conduct a technical feasibility study for the construction of a Rolls-Royce small modular reactor (SMR) in the Middle Eastern country. The signing took place today at the British Embassy in Paris between Alan Woods, strategy and business development director at Rolls-Royce, and Kamal Araj, JAEC vice chairman.

The two organisations will now work together to define the technical, safety, economic and financial requirements for constructing a Rolls-Royce SMR power station in Jordan for electricity generation and water desalination. The outcome of the feasibility study will be used to inform an investment decision by JAEC to move forward to project delivery phase, according to the company statement.

Harry Holt, president for nuclear at Rolls-Royce, said: "With demand for global energy set to rise due to new technologies such as electric cars and increasing requirements for water desalination and district cooling, international interest in Rolls-Royce small modular reactor technology is growing. It represents an important British export opportunity."

Khaled Toukan, JAEC chairman JAEC, said in the Rolls-Royce statement: "SMRs offer unique opportunities to address many of the challenges confronting Jordan, in particular water scarcity and small grid size, through the introduction of nuclear in the country as part of the energy mix."

Rolls-Royce is leading a consortium of British companies to design an SMR power station to deliver low-cost, low-carbon energy to help the UK meet its carbon commitments.

"The Rolls-Royce-led UK SMR could produce reliable energy for as little as GBP60 per megawatt hour - competitive against wind and solar - and through its innovative approach to modular construction, can avoid the complexities, delays and overspends often associated with large infrastructure projects," the company said.

Rolls-Royce and its partners - including Amec Foster Wheeler, Arup, Laing O'Rourke, Nuclear AMRC and Nuvia - released a report in September stating that a UK SMR program could create 40,000 skilled jobs, contribute GBP100 billion ($132 billion) to the economy and open up a potential GBP400 billion global export market.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News