Jordan and Japan have signed an agreement on civilian nuclear energy cooperation. Jordan's official Petra news agency reported that the deal covers the exploration for and exploitation of uranium, the construction and operation of nuclear reactors, as well as the protection of the environment from radiation. Jordan's Atomic Energy Commission chief was quoted as saying Amman wished to profit from Japanese experience in the field of nuclear energy. The agreement will allow Japan to export to Jordan technology for the civilian use of nuclear energy. Jordan already has deals with Argentina, Britain, Canada, China, France, Russia, South Korea and Spain. The country's 1.2 billion tonnes of phosphate reserves are estimated to contain 130,000 tonnes of uranium, and the government wants the first nuclear plant to be ready by 2015.