Jordan hosts '2015 New Nuclear International Conference'

The 2015 New Nuclear International Conference kicked off here on Monday, with the participation of 127 nuclear experts as well as international companies representing 30 Arab and foreign countries.
The gathering aims at spreading awareness about nuclear activities at the international level to address energy challenges and provide alternative power sources to fossil fuels.
Organized by Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC), the Jordan University of Science and Technology and US Goodnight Consulting, the international conference is taking place for the second time in the Middle East region.
President of the Jordan atomic commission Khalid Toukan said that several countries nowadays face similar global energy problems, adding that "global demand for electricity is forecast to be double by the year 2030". He added that the overall construction progress rate has now reached about 80 percent in the Jordanian research reactor, noting that it is expected to operate by 2016.
The Conference included specialized sessions on issues related to the development of nuclear programs, regulating the monitoring of nuclear energy and the development of human resources and culture of nuclear safety and risk management.
Jordan signed nuclear cooperation agreements with a number of countries in 2008, with the Convention providing the Kingdom with a political framework to carry out many nuclera projects and programs.