AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan and Japan have signed a nuclear cooperation deal on Friday, potentially boosting the hand of a French-Japanese consortium bidding to build Jordan's first nuclear plant.Atomic Energy Commission chief Khaled Toukan said the agreement sets the stage for exploring and exploiting Jordan's uranium reserves.RELATED:'Jordan seeks to be nuclear power'About that Jordanian nuclear reactor...‘Cairo, Amman worried about Iran nukes’Toukan said Japan will also assist in the construction and operation of a local reactor and in studies on radioisotopes and radiation.Jordan wants to build a nuclear plant by 2019 to meet its growing energy needs and reduce its energy bill, which consumes about 20 percent of its annual budget.Amman has shortlisted a French-Japanese consortium, a Canadian and a Russian company to build the plant.
