French nuclear giant Areva SA (AREVA.FR) has discovered 12,300 metric tons of uranium in central Jordan, state-run media said Tuesday, as the parched kingdom tries to develop nuclear energy to meet its growing needs.

"Reserves of 12,300 tons of uranium have been in found in central Jordan ," the Petra news agency quoted the French company as saying in a statement published Tuesday.

The Jordan French Uranium Mining Co., a joint venture between Areva and Jordan Energy Resources Inc., "is confident that it will find a strategic reserve of more than 20,000 tonnes or uranium by the end this year," it said.

"The reserve is essential for boosting Jordan 's nuclear fuel resources in the future," it said.

Jordan , which buys 95% of its energy, says its 1.2 billion tons of phosphate reserves are estimated to contain 130,000 tons of uranium.

It has said it would this month announce the firm it has chosen to build the kingdom's first nuclear plant.

A consortium led by Areva and Japan's Mitsubishi Corp. (8058.TO), Russia's Atomstroyexport and Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. were competing to build the plant.

The country's ambitious nuclear program seeks to meet growing needs for power as well as water for its population of 6.3 million.

With desert covering 92% of its territory, Jordan, one of the world's 10 driest countries, wants to use atomic energy to fire desalination plants in a bid to overcome its dire water shortages.

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