International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei said more than 60 countries were considering going nuclear amid an energy crunch and global warming concerns, adding to the 30 countries with existing programmes.

"(But) in some countries we see a troubling combination of old reactors, operations that are poorly managed or underfunded and weak regulations," ElBaradei said in opening remarks to a nuclear power conference in Beijing.

"This needs to be addressed immediately," he added, calling for a greater international drive to ensure the safety of nuclear plants and security of fissile material.

He said there was a risk that countries which acquire nuclear energy technology may seek to develop atomic weapons.

"These countries may have no intention of ever making nuclear weapons but that can change quickly if their perceptions of risk to national security change," he said.

"And security perceptions, as we know, can change very rapidly."

Such concerns have been highlighted in recent years by international efforts to stop North Korea and Iran from allegedly trying to turn nuclear energy systems into weapons programmes.

ElBaradei said growing energy demand and concerns about oil supplies and greenhouse gas emissions had triggered renewed interest in nuclear power.

He said 436 nuclear power reactors were in operation in 30 countries, providing about 14 percent of global electricity supplies.

But many more countries are also looking at the nuclear option, ElBaradei said, adding that last year construction started on 10 new reactors worldwide, the highest since the 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl.

Eight were in Asia, including six in China, he added.

The three-day conference organised by the IAEA gathers energy ministers or other representatives from more than 60 countries to discuss nuclear power's future.

Energy ministers at the conference were to present their countries' stance on nuclear power.

These included hosts China, which plans to ramp up nuclear energy output to meet spiralling demand as the country rapidly develops.

Chinese state-run press reported last month that the nation's energy agency wanted to nearly double its 2020 nuclear power capacity goal, and was urging firms to acquire uranium abroad to build reserves.

The National Energy Administration wants to increase capacity to 75,000 megawatts, up from the 40,000 it had called for in a plan put forward in 2007, according to the reports.

China currently has a combined nuclear power capacity of 9,100 megawatts at 11 reactors.

The United States and Iran were among other countries due to present their plans on Monday.

Officials at the conference expressed concerns that the global financial crisis would slow the nuclear comeback temporarily as funding for new projects dried up, but said atomic power would be increasingly important.

Share This Article With Planet Earth

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Related Links
Nuclear Power News - Nuclear Science, Nuclear Technology
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News