(LEAD) S. Korean consortium set to win deal to build research reactor in Jordan

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; UPDATES with more details, comments throughout)
SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean consortium including a state-run
institute is set to sign a deal with Jordan to build the first atomic research
reactor in the Middle Eastern country, government officials said Thursday.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said the Jordan Atomic Energy
Commission has signed a letter of acceptance (LOA) designating the consortium --
the state-run Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) and Daewoo
Engineering and Construction Co. -- as the winners of an open bid to build a 5
megawatt reactor by 2014.
"The LOA signed on Sunday has yet to arrive in the country, but its contents have
been forwarded to KARI and Daewoo who are to sign off on the pact," an official
said.
He said the two sides are to sign a formal contract in March, with the reactor to
be built at the Jordan University for Sciences and Technology, 70 kilometers
north of Anman.
The officials did not release details on the financial terms of the project,
although experts here put their estimate for it at 200 billion won (US$178
million).
"Work on the project is to start immediately after the formal contract is signed
with construction permits to be issued within 18 months and the building of the
reactor to be completed in 48 months," he said.
KAERI and Daewoo sidestepped rival bids from Argentina, China and Russia to
secure the Jordanian bid.
A research reactor is used to conduct various scientific and engineering studies,
and is also designed for isotope production for medical and industrial purposes.
It can be used to train expert personnel.
The science ministry said the deal marks the first time South Korea has won the
right to sell a locally made nuclear reactor abroad, after entering the
experimental reactor field in 1959 with the purchase of the TRIGA Mark-II from
the United States.
South Korea has been operating the 30 megawatt High-flux Advanced Neutron
Application Reactor (HANARO) 30MW since 1995 and has been eying export markets in
the past few years.
The winning of the bid was due to the cutting edge technology incorporated in
HANARO, according to the officials.
By securing the Jordanian contract, South Korea will be in a good position to
engage in future research reactor bids, they said.
There are an estimated 240 operational research reactors in the world. Some 40
countries are expected to require 50 new units in the next 15 years.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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