French energy company Areva on Tuesday said it had discovered more than 20,000 tons of uranium ore in Jordan, and that the country's uranium reserves were larger than previously believed, dpa reported. Areva has spent the last 18 months exploring for uranium in the country's central region. Jordanian energy officials praised the results as an "encouraging sign" for the feasibility of the country's first uranium mine, whose establishment currently hinges on an economic feasibility study being carried out by Areva. The Jordan Atomic Energy Commission said Areva had confirmed that surface layers were of a higher grade than previously believed, and were likely to go ahead with plans to construct an open-pit mine in 2013. Australian mining auditor Coffey Mining is currently carrying out a chemical analysis to confirm the results, according to the commission. Jordan is seeking to utilize its vast uranium reserves, which various experts place at about 100,000 tons, to fuel its nuclear programme, which entails the construction of up to four 1,100-megawatt nuclear reactors over the next two decades.
