Jordan announces uranium production

Friday, 13 May 2022

State news agency Petra reported the achievement, citing JUMCO General Director Muhammad Shunnaq who said the factory is set to produce "tens of kilograms" of yellowcake from the processing of "hundreds of tons" of ore over the next few months. Production is being carried out in in accordance with International Atomic Energy Agency standards, he said.

JUMCO is the commercial arm of the Jordanian Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) and was established in 2013 to carry out radioactive elements exploration and development in Jordan. Its exploration and development efforts have been focused on the Central Jordan Uranium Project, where a pilot plant began operation in early 2021. JUMCO later that year said the plant was fully operational.

According to the 2020 edition of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and International Atomic Energy Agency joint report on uranium resources, production and demand - known as the 'Red Book' - Jordan has 62,000 tU as inferred resources, including 33,300 tU of JORC-compliant resources in central Jordan.