JAEC hosts nuclear safety, security workshop

AMMAN — The Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC), in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Arab Network of Nuclear Regulators (ANNuR), has organised a regional workshop on the interface between nuclear safety and security.

According to a JAEC statement cited by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, on Tuesday, the workshop aimed to give participants a deeper understanding of nuclear safety and security through exchanging expertise and sharing practices that meet IAEA's standards.

JAEC Chairman Khaled Toukan said that Jordan has signed and ratified relevant international instruments that govern nuclear safety and security, which are "essential for the successful and sustainable use of nuclear power".

Toukan briefed attendees on the achievements of the Jordanian nuclear programme, which includes the construction of a 5-megawatt research atomic reactor, a 2.5 GeV third generation synchrotron light source, and the Jordanian uranium mining project, which is currently operating at full capacity.

Zia Hussain Shah, IAEA representative and expert in nuclear safety, praised the Jordanian nuclear programme and its expertise in nuclear best practices, adding that the IAEA is scheduled to organise many regional workshops and events in Jordan.

ANNuR Coordinator Daw Mosbah said that the network was established to boost regulators' framework infrastructure in fields of radiation preventive measures, and to be an efficient and internationally recognised forum for Arab regulators. 

He added that in light of the increasing use of nuclear power in Arab countries, ANNuR is responsible for monitoring the use of nuclear energy in medicine, industry, agriculture, electricity generation, water desalination, radioactive material transport and the disposal of radioactive waste.

The four-day workshop, held Monday through Thursday, brought together some of the 17 Arab member states at IAEA: Tunisia, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iraq, Oman, Libya, Mauritania, and Yemen.