NucNews November 7, 2006 -------- NUCLEAR -------- australia PM shrugs off anti-nuclear poll November 07, 2006 The Australian http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20717737-1702,00.html http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,20717737-1702,00.html?from=rss PRIME Minister John Howard has dismissed a poll which shows only 17 per cent of Australians back nuclear power while almost half think solar power is the best way to tackle climate change. Mr Howard, who has been promoting a nuclear energy industry for Australia, derided solar power as a soft answer which would never be able to replace coal-fired electricity. He said he would not back away from his support for nuclear power because of one opinion poll. "This is going to be a long debate, but I am going to continue to argue reason. I can't have a policy on something like this dictated by an opinion poll," Mr Howard said. "In the end I've got to call it as it is and in the end I have to say that solar and wind will not replace conventional power stations." The ACNielsen poll in Fairfax newspapers today found that nine out of 10 people believe global warming is a problem and 62 per cent are unhappy with the Howard Government's response. Almost half of those questioned cited solar power as the best weapon against climate change, while 19 per cent supported a carbon tax on fossil fuels and 17 per cent backed nuclear power. Mr Howard said the results were unsurprising given the publicity surrounding last week's Stern report on climate change, which warned of dire consequences if the problem was not immediately tackled. "It's a natural response to that sort of question," Mr Howard said. "I didn't find that surprising. I didn't find the 50 per cent who thought solar was the answer surprising either, because solar is a nice, easy, soft answer." Mr Howard said solar and wind power could make a contribution, but would never be enough to replace baseload power generation by coal-fired power stations. The only way wind power could create enough energy was to have a windmill "every few hundred feet starting at South Head and going down to Malabar", he said. "You can imagine the residents of Sydney wanting that," he said. "You simply won't be able to generate enough power from something like wind in order to take the load off the power that is generated by the use of coal and gas and in time I believe nuclear." -------- canada Nuclear dump triggers protest Ontario planning storage site near Lake Huron shore By NICOLE GERRING Port Huron, MI, Times Herald November 7, 2006 http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061107/NEWS01/611070303 Local officials have joined a bi-national effort to stop a proposal to build an underground nuclear-waste storage facility less than a mile from Lake Huron's shore. Activists, politicians, and citizens groups from the United States and Canada voiced their opposition Oct. 23 to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission regarding a proposal to create a nuclear-waste storage site under Kincardine, Ontario. Kincardine is on Lake Huron, about three hours northeast of Port Huron. Local officials fear the repository could contaminate the lake and other local waterways. "This repository presents an unacceptable risk to our community and our future generations," Fred Fuller, St. Clair County drain commissioner and vice-chairman of the Bi-National Public Advisory Council for the St. Clair River Area of Concern, wrote in a recent letter to the Canadian environment ministry. "The nuclear wastes will remain hazardous for thousands of years. This could cause significant detrimental environmental effects in St. Clair County." Ontario Power Generation has applied for regulatory approval to build a storage facility deep underground for low- and intermediate-level radioactive wastes generated at the Bruce nuclear plant site in Tiverton, Ontario. The facility also would take wastes from other nuclear facilities in Ontario. Before the project moves forward, it must pass an environmental-impact study. The nuclear-safety commission is expected to outline requirements of the study within the next six weeks. The environmental as-sessment, usually done by environmental experts hired by the nuclear industry, could take until 2011. If satisfied with the assessment results, the commission would grant a construction license. John Earl, spokesman for Ontario Power Generation, said the storage facility could be operational in 2017. The Kincardine community, not industry, suggested the underground repository, Earl said. Bruce nuclear plant officials acknowledged in 2002 that ground water near homes in Kincardine, Ont., tested positive for radioactive waste. "The material is already (stored above ground) right on that site. It has been for 40 years," Earl said. "The community said we believe there is a safer method." Fuller and others are asking the Canadian Ministry of the Environment refer the project to a mediator or review panel. The nuclear-safety commission, opponents say, is not an objective body, because it reports to the Ministry of Natural Resources, which promotes the use of nuclear energy, and is comprised of former nuclear-industry employees. "It's not exactly within my jurisdiction or job description, but I know it represents a certain threat to St. Clair County and the water here," Fuller said. "Can we really predict how safe this will be in the next centuries? We need to find a very secure and closely considered way to store this waste." Kay Cumbow of St. Clair County's Lynn Township is president of the Citizens for Alternatives to Chemical Contamination, a Michigan group opposed to the proposal. "We get our drinking water out of Port Huron, as does Flint and a chunk of the city of Detroit. Beyond that, the responsibility for the water quality - and the health of the water - is a responsibility that is incumbent on the First Nations, Native Americans, and the U.S., the citizens as well as all the governments. We need to take care of that, we need to respect that because the water is life and as the water goes, so do we." Contact Nicole Gerring at (810) 989-6270 or ngerring@gannett.com. -------- china Chinese Utility Proposes New Nuclear Power Plant Tuesday November 7, 2006 (AP) http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/061107/china_nuclear_power.html?.v=1 http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?feed=AP&date=20061107&id=6137915 BEIJING -- A Chinese utility has proposed building a nuclear power plant along the Yangtze River west of Shanghai, a news report said Tuesday, adding to a string of planned nuclear facilities announced this year in China. The plant in Wuhu, an inland city in Anhui province, would be the first along the Yangtze, China's biggest river, the official Xinhua News Agency said. It said the plan still requires government approval. It is the fifth planned nuclear power generating station announced this year in China. The government plans to build as many as 40 nuclear plants by 2020 in an effort to reduce power shortages caused by China's economic boom. The China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Co. has earmarked 46 billion yuan (US$5.7 billion; euro4.6 billion) for the Wuhu plant, Xinhua said. It would have four reactors with a total generating capacity of 4,000 megawatts. China has six nuclear power plants with 11 reactors, all located along its economically thriving east and southeast coasts. Companies have announced plans to build additional plants in the provinces of Fujian in the southeast, Shandong in the northeast and Hunan in central China. ---- Chinese president set for maiden trip to India, Pakistan (Reuters) 2006-11-07 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-11/07/content_727173.htm BEIJING - Chinese President Hu Jintao will make his maiden trip as national leader to India and Pakistan later this month, China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday amid reports of free trade talks between Beijing and New Delhi. Chinese President Hu Jintao will visit India and Pakistan later this month, his first visits to the two countries as China's top leader. [AFP] Hu will visit India from November 20-23 and Pakistan 23-26, following trips to Vietnam, where he will attend the APEC forum, and to Laos, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a news conference. China and India, emerging Asian giants with a history of friction, needed to focus on cooperating as their economies grew, Assistant Chinese Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai told reporters. "Trade and economic cooperation between China and India suits both countries' interests," he said. "We hope both sides can do more things beneficial to developing bilateral economics and trade and beneficial to mutual confidence." He said bilateral trade between China and India could pass $20 billion this year. In the first nine months of 2006, bilateral trade reached $17.87 billion, rise of 28.9 percent on the same time last year, driven by surging Chinese exports, according to Chinese statistics. China and India, the world's two most populous nations, fought a border war in 1962, and Hu's trip may spur progress on resolving the continued disagreement over their 3,500-km (2,220-mile). The two sides appointed envoys in 2003 to negotiate a solution to the decades-old dispute but progress has been incremental. Beijing has also been wary of Delhi's agreement with Washington to expand nuclear energy cooperation, even though India has tested nuclear devices and does not belong to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Cui gently raised China's concerns while avoiding direct criticism of India's nuclear program. "As a principle, we believe that all countries can engage in this kind of international cooperation with the precondition that they fulfil their international responsibilities," he said. "Of course, we should all make efforts to strengthen international non-proliferation." Chinese state media reported on Monday that China was considering opening free trade talks with India. -------- depleted uranium UN says it found no evidence of uranium-based munitions in Lebanon Tue Nov 7, 2006 (AFP) http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061107/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictlebanonisraelmunitions NAIROBI - UN experts have found no evidence to support a press report that Israel used depleted uranium (DU) munitions during the July-August conflict in Lebanon, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has said. "The samples taken by the UNEP scientists show no evidence of penetrators or metal made of DU or other radioactive material," UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said in a statement Tuesday. "In addition, no DU shrapnel, or other radioactive residue was found. The analysis of all smear samples taken shows no DU, nor enriched uranium nor higher than natural uranium content in the samples." In October, the British daily The Independent said samples of soil taken from two bomb craters in Lebanon showed high radiation levels, suggesting that uranium-based munitions had been used. The craters, at Khiam and At-Tiri, were caused by Israeli heavy or guided bombs and showed "elevated radiation signatures," the Independent quoted Chris Busby, the British scientific secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risk, as saying. Britain's ministry of defence had confirmed the level of uranium isotopes in the samples, which were also being tested by mass spectrometry at a laboratory in Oxfordshire, the report had said. The UNEP statement said a sub-team of inspectors looking specifically at the DU issue had visited 32 sites south and north of the Litani river. "Following strict field procedures, a range of smear, dust and soil samples were taken. The samples were analysed in October-November at an internationally-recognised laboratory in Switzerland," it said. UNEP had sent the team as part of an assessment into environmental damage caused by the conflict. The investigation confirmed that Israel had used artillery and mortar ammunition containing white phosphorus, the statement said. Israel says that none of its weapons are illegal and acknowledged on October 22 that it used the phosphorus. Human rights groups have long argued that phosphorus weapons, which cause agonising injuries, should be banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention. -------- india / pakistan Indo-US nuclear deal on backburner? CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA 7 Nov, 2006 2249hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/359844.cms WASHINGTON: A White House move to push for passage of a trade bill with Vietnam ahead of the US-India nuclear deal in the upcoming lame duck session of Congress has riled some Indian activists who are starting to see deal -- and India's growing ties with the US -- being put on the backburner. While the chances of the nuke deal being taken up if the Democrats capture the one of both houses is already slim, the administration seems more intent on pushing through the Vietnam bill ahead of President Bush's visit to Hanoi for the APEC summit later this month. The deal is also beset with other difficulties, including a failure to get the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group to accept it wholeheartedly. The latest newsletter of the Washington-based Arms Control Association (ACA) reports that New Delhi "failed to address all the concerns and questions group members have raised," at a consultative group meeting of the NSG on October 11-12, the first time Indian officials are said to have met the group to discuss the deal. The confidential presentation, which reportedly stressed India's need for nuclear energy and determination not to cap its nuclear weapons sector, did not assuage all the concerns of critics and skeptics, the newsletter quoted to unnamed two NSG member officials as saying. Wade Boese, the analyst who wrote the report, said much remains unsettled about the US-Indian deal, so the NSG may not face an immediate decision on the matter. The IAEA and New Delhi have not started negotiations on the duration and scope of the agency's oversight because India is balking at the notion of permanent IAEA safeguards for its entire civilian nuclear sector, Boese wrote. -------- iran Quick guide: Iran nuclear stand-off Tuesday, 7 November 2006 (BBC) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6122412.stm The United Nations Security Council is discussing whether to impose economic sanctions on Iran because of its nuclear activities. What is Iran doing? Iran is trying to develop the technology of enriching uranium. This is done by converting uranium ore into a gas which is then spun through centrifuges to separate the richer parts that can be used as fuel in a nuclear power station. Why are there objections to this? Because this technology can also be used to spin the uranium gas for longer in order to get an even higher level of enrichment and this highly enriched uranium can be used as the basis of a nuclear bomb. The Security Council has demanded that Iran suspend its enrichment activities while talks take place about its long-term plans. Is Iran trying to build a nuclear weapon? Iran says that it is not. It says it is simply exercising its right under an international treaty on nuclear weapons known as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. This bans it from developing a nuclear bomb but does allow it to develop nuclear power, including the technology needed to fuel power stations. The UN's nuclear watchdog says it cannot "confirm the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme". Why are sanctions being discussed? Because members of the Security Council, especially the United States, Britain and France, do not trust Iran. Map showing Iran For 18 years, Iran hid its enrichment programme and the suspicion was that it was trying to develop bomb technology in secret. Iran has been told that if it stops enrichment, it will be offered help with developing nuclear power stations (including an offer to provide it with the necessary enriched uranium fuel). However Iran has refused the Council's demand that it stop what it is doing before any talks take place. Will the UN place sanctions on Iran? This is not certain. Some countries, led by the US, say the time has come to impose economic sanctions such as a ban on trade in technology which could be used for nuclear or missile development. However others, including Russia and China, are against such steps at the moment. Could there be a military attack on Iran? The US says it wants a diplomatic solution. An attack on Iran would be hard to carry out and hard to justify legally. The US is said to have plans but it has plans for many contingencies and it has not taken a decision. Some Israeli strategists say a nuclear-armed Iran would pose an unacceptable threat to their country, but it is thought unlikely Israel would attack Iran without US support. ---- Security Council Formally Takes Up Iran Sanctions Draft by Staff Writers United Nations (AFP) Nov 07, 2006 http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Security_Council_Formally_Takes_Up_Iran_Sanctions_Draft_999.html Russia and the United States sparred Tuesday over how hard to punish Iran for its refusal to halt nuclear fuel work as the UN Security Council formally took up European proposals for targeted sanctions. Ahead of the council's private consultations, US Ambassador John Bolton said amendments proposed by the Russians to a European draft resolution last week were not "consistent with" what foreign ministers of six major powers tackling the Iranian nuclear issue had agreed last summer. But his Russian counterpart, Vitaly Churkin, disagreed, saying after the council consultations: "We believe our approach, our proposals are fully in conformity with the understanding by the ministers." The Russian and US delegations have both offered amendments to the draft prepared by Britain, France and Germany that mandates nuclear- and ballistic-missile-related trade sanctions. The text also calls for a freeze on assets related to Iran's nuclear and missile programs and travel bans on scientists involved in those programs. But it would allow Russia to continue building the one-billion-dollar nuclear power plant in Bushehr -- an exemption that diplomats say is crucial to efforts to gain Moscow's approval. Tuesday's closed-door consultations were the first by the entire 15-member council on the draft. The text has already been the subject of two informal meetings among envoys of Germany and the council's five veto-wielding members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- over the past two weeks. Bolton said envoys of the council's permanent members and Germany would meet again informally Tuesday afternoon to discuss the Russian and US amendments. "The discussions are still at a very preliminary stage," said Peru's UN envoy Jorge Voto-Bernales, the council president for November. "There is still much work to do ... No time frame has been put forward." He said the sponsors had offered to present the council with a more precise text once there is more progress in the bargaining among the six powers tackling the nuclear standoff with Tehran. "The Russian amendments narrow the scope of the sanctions while the US proposals would broaden the scope of the sanctions," a Western diplomat close to the discussions said. A diplomatic source said Moscow opposed the proposed travel ban and assets freeze in the draft and would only accept a ban on "sensitive" technologies. In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack expressed some impatience about the pace of UN negotiations on the Iran sanctions. "We believe that the matter merits some degree of urgency, because as we have these discussions, the Iranians are proceeding along their merry way, spinning their centrifuges, getting every single day a little bit better at this," he noted. "We believe the way you stop that is by increasing the diplomatic pressure on them," McCormack added. "It's important to speak with one voice on this matter ultimately. There can be debates along the way... But ultimately the signal that is sent to the Iranians must be a clear, strong one." "We have not proposed our own draft," Churkin said, insisting that there were "no major gaps" between his suggestions and the European text. He said however Moscow was pressing for the removal of some elements which it felt did not belong in the text. Last week Churkin made it clear that the purpose of any future Security Council action was to encourage Iran to come back to the negotiating table, not to turn it away from negotiations. Diplomatic sources meanwhile said Washington was pressing for language making it clear that the Iranian nuclear program represents a "threat to international peace and security". Asked to comment on this point, Churkin replied Tuesday: "We don't see it that way." Asked whether the Russians were backing away from their commitments, McCormack said Tuesday: "We have an agreement with them. There's an understanding. Everybody knows what that is. And the understanding is that we now, absent Iranian compliance with what the international community has demanded of them, go to the sanctions resolution." In a related development, the Russian foreign ministry announced Tuesday that Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Motaki would confer with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Iran's nuclear program and other issues during a visit to Moscow Thursday and Friday. Iran faces sanctions after spurning an August 31 Security Council deadline to halt its uranium enrichment program -- a process that can lead to the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons. Tehran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and aimed at generating electricity. The six powers have offered Tehran a package of economic and diplomatic incentives if it gives up the enrichment program. -------- israel Israel will not strike Iran nuclear plants: US official JERUSALEM (AFP) Nov 07, 2006 http://www.spacewar.com/2006/061107152914.4j8qi2y0.html Israel will not target Iran's nuclear facilities which the Jewish state says are used to secretly develop an atomic bomb, a senior US official said Tuesday. "Israel will not target Iran's nuclear facilities because it has said this is a problem of the entire world," the official told AFP. "Israel understands that the only way to defuse the nuclear crisis is through diplomatic channels." Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will meet United States President George W. Bush in Washington next week for talks which are expected to focus on Iran's controversial nuclear programme. Israel -- widely considered the Middle East's sole, if undeclared nuclear weapons power -- considers Iran its chief foe, pointing to calls from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to wipe the Jewish state off the map. Iran denies it is seeking to develop an atomic weapon and insists its nuclear programme is purely to generate electricity. -------- korea US, S Korea will not recognize NKorea as nuclear-armed state by Jun Kwanwoo Tue Nov 7, 2006 (AFP) http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061107/wl_asia_afp/nkoreanuclearweapons_061107145220 SEOUL - The United States and South Korea reaffirmed they will not recognize North Korea as a nuclear-armed state, after a day of talks to set a joint strategy in upcoming disarmament negotiations. The two sides in a joint statement also pledged to work for early agreement on scrapping the North's nuclear programmes when the six-nation talks -- which have dragged on since 2003 -- resume after a year-long break. The statement came at the end of a visit by US Undersecretaries of State Nicholas Burns and Robert Joseph. They arrived from Japan and will travel on to China to seek a united front in the talks, and strict enforcement of UN sanctions imposed on the North after its October 9 nuclear test. Russia is also a member of the six-nation forum. "Both parties shared the view that North Korea's nuclear test is a grave threat to peace and security on the Korean peninsula, Northeast Asia and beyond," the South Korean-US statement said. "They welcomed the recent agreement to resume the six-party talks, and highlighted the importance of maintaining a unified voice in the international community through full and effective implementation of the UN Security Council (sanctions) Resolution 1718. "Both parties reaffirmed the position that North Korea will not be recognized as a nuclear-weapon state." North Korea, which has festooned Pyongyang with banners hailing the test, is demanding it be treated as a member of the nuclear club when the talks resume. However there are doubts about whether it has the capability yet to deliver a nuclear weapon, either by plane or missile. "The United States does not want to see North Korea's hand strengthened at the upcoming talks by recognizing it as a nuclear-armed state," said the Sejong Institute's Paik Hak-Soon. The two sides said they looked forward to achieving agreement soon on ways to implement the joint statement of September last year on denuclearisation. Under that deal the North agreed in principle to scrap its nuclear programmes in exchange for energy, economic aid and security guarantees. But it boycotted the six-party forum two months later in protest at US-inspired curbs on its overseas bank accounts. Washington has agreed to hold discussions on those curbs when talks resume. "The two sides shared the view that progress should be made at the six-party talks and the talks should not be held for the sake of talks," said presidential spokesman Yoon Tae-Young after a meeting between Burns and Song Min-Soon, chief presidential secretary for security. Song is to become South Korea's next foreign minister, replacing Ban Ki-Moon whom Burns also met. Ban will be the next UN secretary general. The visiting US officials praised the strength of the US-South Korean alliance, which dates back to the 1950-53 war launched by the North. Areas of potential disagreement were sidestepped. South Korea has pledged to honour the UN sanctions but refuses to drop its "sunshine" engagement policy with the North, the source of much domestic criticism since the test. It is also resisting US pressure to join the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) to inspect cargos to and from North Korea -- as provided for under the sanctions -- for fear of serious naval clashes. A group of 20 activists protested outside the foreign ministry where the talks were held. "We oppose the war-sparking PSI," they shouted. Some 50 riot police kept them at bay. Also not on the agenda were two cross-border projects that have earned North Korea almost one billion dollars. Critics say the proceeds could have gone to produce missiles and nuclear weapons. -------- russia Bushehr NPP launch schedule may be up for review - Russia 07/ 11/ 2006 (RIA Novosti) http://en.rian.ru/russia/20061107/55439820.html MOSCOW, November 7 - The timeframe for launching the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which Russia is building in southern Iran, could be modified, a source in Russia's nuclear power sector said Tuesday. It was earlier reported that the NPP will be launched in September 2007, and will begin supplying the national grid in November 2007. "The approved schedule for the Bushehr power plant's launch envisages a whole set of arrangements, including by the Iranian side, and it could be revised if the Iranian side fails to meet the schedule," the source said. The plant has been a source of international dispute in the context of Iran's controversial nuclear ambitions, with the United States urging Russia not to build the plant, while Russia has consistently defended Iran's right to nuclear power. European countries have proposed a draft UN Security Council resolution on sanctions against Iran, under which the Bushehr NPP would not be banned, but nuclear fuel supplies to the plant would be restricted, a proposal that Russia wants removed from the document. The EU-3 - Britain, France and Germany - proposed two weeks ago an array of sanctions against the country for its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, which includes banning sales of missile and nuclear technologies to Iran, freezing its military bank accounts, and imposing visa restrictions on officials linked to the nuclear industry. The Russian nuclear official also said a proposal to set up a Russian-Iranian joint venture to enrich uranium may never materialize. "We are not satisfied with Iran's response to our proposal," the Russian official said, adding that the proposal was not currently under discussion. ---- Putin Seeks to Form State Nuclear Firm By Yuriy Humber Bloomberg Tuesday, November 7, 2006 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/11/07/047.html President Vladimir Putin wants to give state companies the right to own the nation's nuclear assets and have power to form joint ventures with foreign operators, making the industry more efficient, a State Duma deputy said. Putin's bill, proposed to the Duma on Thursday, would let the companies group together under a new state-controlled holding and try to put Russia's atomic energy industry on a commercial footing, in the manner of Paris-based Areva. The holding company would compete in all markets related to nuclear energy. [...] ---- Russia to raise nuclear fuel prices for Ukraine in 2007 07/ 11/ 2006 (RIA Novosti) http://en.rian.ru/russia/20061107/55441391.html MOSCOW, November 7 - Russia plans to increase the price for enriched uranium it supplies for Ukraine's nuclear power plants in 2007, the Federal Nuclear Power Agency (Rosatom) said Tuesday. "We have agreed [with Ukraine] to revise prices annually," a spokesman said. "Since spot prices on uranium have increased several times, the price for uranium fuel for Ukrainian NPPs will be revised correspondingly." Russia is supplying uranium fuel for 15 nuclear power generating units of Ukraine's NPPs in 2006 under a contract signed in January by Russia's TVEL, one of the world's largest nuclear fuel producers and suppliers, and Ukraine's national nuclear energy generating company Energoatom. ---- Nuclear reactor shut down in southern Ukraine for emergency repair work Associated Press (November 7, 2006) http://pepei.pennnet.com/news/display_news_story.cfm?Section=WireNews&Category=HOME&NewsID=140672 KIEV, Ukraine - A nuclear reactor was shut down in southern Ukraine early Tuesday for emergency repair work to fix a defect, officials said. There was no increase in radiation levels, the state-run nuclear operator Energoatom said. The cause of the shutdown was the malfunction of a pipe that helps cool the second reactor, said Yulia Shayda, Energoatom spokeswoman. The Southern-Ukraine nuclear power plant, in the Mykolayvsky region, has two other reactors: one is operating, and another is undergoing planned repairs. Ukraine was the site of the world's worst nuclear accident when a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear plant exploded and caught fire in April 1986, spewing radiation over the western part of the Soviet Union and northern Europe. Chernobyl was closed down in 2000. Ukraine has 15 working nuclear reactors; officials said 12 are in operation now. -------- security U.S. Web Site With Iraqi Nuclear Data Remained Available After U.S. Scientists Complained Tuesday, November 07, 2006 http://intelligence-summit.blogspot.com/2006/11/us-web-site-with-iraqi-nuclear-data.html U.S. nuclear scientists warned the Bush administration more than two weeks ago that information posted on an official U.S. Web site provided detailed information about making nuclear weapons, the New York Times reported Saturday (see GSN, Nov. 3). The site contained mostly Arabic-language documents confiscated from Iraq following the 2003 invasion. Some of the material described Iraqi efforts to build nuclear weapons prior to the 1991 Gulf War. The site was shut down Thursday after officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency complained and following calls from reporters, the Times reported. Two weeks earlier, though, U.S. scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California had urged the Energy Department to take down some of the material. Two documents were removed, according to the Times. Those actions, however, were taken by midlevel bureaucrats, and top officials apparently were not notified. The Livermore complaints “never perked up to senior management,” said one senior official. Democrats in the U.S. Congress have called for an investigation and the Energy Department has promised to review the situation (William Broad, New York Times, Nov. 4). posted by Marko -------- treaties Bosnia-Herzegovina ratifies global treaty banning nuclear test explosions Associated Press November 7, 2006 http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/07/news/UN_GEN_UN_Nuclear_Test_Ban_Bosnia.php VIENNA, Austria: Bosnia-Herzegovina has ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, bringing to 136 the number of nations that have done so, the Vienna-based organization that administers the accord said Tuesday. Bosnia formally notified the United Nations of its endorsement on Oct. 26, bringing the number of ratifying states in Eastern Europe to 21, the Vienna-based Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization said in a statement. The treaty — which bans all nuclear explosions — will not enter into force until it has been ratified by all 44 states, listed in an annex, that participated in a 1996 disarmament conference and have nuclear power or research reactors. Only 34 of the 44 countries have ratified the pact, the CTBT said. The holdouts include the United States, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea. -------- u.s. nuc facilities -------- colorado Wildlife refuge may still be radioactive by Lissa James February 7, 2005 http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=15263 Scientists may have discovered a radioactive "hot spot" at a future wildlife refuge surrounding the former Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant. The plant, northwest of Denver, produced plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons for more than 30 years. The U.S. Department of Energy and Kaiser-Hill, the company contracted to clean up the site, plan to dispose of the plant’s nuclear waste by 2006. Once it’s clean, 6,000 acres surrounding the plant will be transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which will be in charge of regulating everything from public access to future prairie dog colonies. But in September, Kaiser-Hill discovered a 30-acre plot in the northern buffer zone with a radioactivity level that was 120 times higher than expected, although still well below the limit set for the refuge. Now, Kaiser-Hill and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are re-sampling the plot to see if the hot spot was merely the result of a lab error. "We don’t really think it’s news," says the Energy Department’s supervisory general engineer, Joseph Legare, who calls the results "curious." Others aren’t so sure about the safety of the buffer zone. "Plutonium remains dangerous for a quarter of a million years," says LeRoy Moore, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center. "We have no idea what human and natural events are going to disturb the land." The Fish and Wildlife Service expects to finalize the Rocky Flats management plan early this year. -------- illinois Second reactor at Clinton looms closer By Tony Reid Tony.Reid@lee.net Tuesday, November 7, 2006 Pantagraph http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2006/11/07/money/doc4551145602483184164557.txt DECATUR -- The prospect of a second nuclear power plant in Clinton loomed a little closer on Tuesday. A hearing by a panel of legal and scientific experts appointed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission met in Decatur to hear evidence about why the present Clinton Nuclear Power Plant site is both safe and environmentally suitable enough to house a second reactor. Exelon Nuclear, which runs the present plant through its AmerGen subsidiary, hasn’t said it will build a new reactor, even if it gets the permission. But site approval, with a final NRC decision now expected in May, would give Exelon a 20-year window to make up its mind and see whether it’s worth sinking hundreds of millions of dollars into making Clinton go nuclear again. Bruce Paulsen, a spokesman for the Clinton plant, said the Exelon decision-makers were not being influenced by the current row over Illinois electric power costs, with some bills expected to jump by more than 40 percent when a rate freeze ends Jan. 1. Paulsen said the company has to take a long-term view of what power demands might be far into the future and choose the best means to meet those power needs: fossil fuel or nuclear? Exelon, which operates 10 nuclear power plants and 17 reactors nationwide, clearly has a positive view of atomic energy. “We are very committed to nuclear and we know that it is a safe, clean, viable energy source,” added Paulsen. He also said Clinton families supported power plant expansion because of the boost to local taxes and the good-paying jobs that would be generated. “I think if you ask the majority of people around Clinton, they would definitely like another nuclear reactor,” said Paulsen. The NRC will find out for itself Wednesday night when, after a second day of taking expert testimony at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel, the focus shifts to Clinton and a public comment session starting at 6 p.m. at Clinton Junior High School, 701 Illini Drive. The session will last until 10 p.m., if necessary, to give everybody who wants to a chance to speak. The three-member expert panel will then consider the evidence before making a recommendation to the NRC for or against the Clinton site’s suitability to house a second reactor. Few members of the public turned up to watch the opening of the official hearing Tuesday, with the proceedings conducted like a court session. The panel was chaired by Judge Paul Abramson and was faced by ranks of lawyers and expert witnesses from both Exelon and the NRC’s staff, who have recommended approval of the site permit. -------- new hampshire Nuke watchdogs want change By Susan Morse smorse@seacoastonline.com November 07, 2006 http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/hampton/11072006/nhnews-hu-sea-station1107.html SEABROOK -- C-10 Foundation hopes to turn a standard administrative meeting by the Nuclear Decommissioning Finance Committee into a discussion on dry fuel storage. C-10, a nuclear watchdog group in Newburyport, Mass., is pushing for dry fuel storage containment that costs millions more than what is being built at the Seabrook Station nuclear power plant. The Nuclear Decommissioning Finance Committee will meet Thursday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m., at the Seabrook Community Center on Route 1. The meeting is required to be open to the public, said Al Griffith, a spokesman for FPL Energy Seabrook Station. It is not a meeting on dry fuel storage, Griffith said. "It's a regular meeting," he said. "The Nuclear Decommissioning Finance Committee is responsible for administering funds to go towards decommissioning." Nothing has changed with decommissioning, said Griffith. The nuclear power plant has yet to file for license renewal to extend operations. As part of the agenda, said Griffith, the commission has asked for a brief overview of the plant's dry storage plan. Jim Peschel, director of Regulatory Affairs, will provide the information. Chris Nord, who sits on C-10's board of directors, is expected to attend, as is Mary Metcalf, who is on the board of directors for the Seacoast Anti-Pollution League in Portsmouth. SAPL has been an intervener since the commission was established. Nord is the author of a CD on spent fuel pools in Seabrook, which was presented to U.S. congressmen and senators in September. C-10 promotes Hardened On Site Storage (HOSS), which proponents say is a more secure method, and costs millions more, than what is being built at Seabrook Station and other power plants. "The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's answer says HOSS is too expensive," said Sandra Gavutis, who heads C-10. "I think what is disturbing, in light of the catastrophic risk and catastrophic cost," said Debbie Grinnell, a researcher at C-10, "the choice is not to address this. It's a national security issue." SAPL has taken no position on the issue, said Metcalf. "What the general public is not aware of is the cooling pool will soon be filled and they will go immediately to dry cask storage," said Metcalf. Preliminary construction of dry storage has begun on site, within the secure area of the nuclear power plant, said Griffith. Construction will take at least a year, with the spent fuel rods going into the dry containment in 2008. Currently, the spent fuel is kept in pools on site, awaiting transfer to a national waste facility in Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Lawsuits have held up the opening of the Yucca Mountain facility, with most nuclear power plants at or near capacity for storage in their spent fuel pools. Seabrook Station, as one of the newer power plants, is not at capacity, according to Griffith. For an estimated month, Seabrook Station has been off-line for a scheduled refueling, in which the fuel rods are replaced. The power plant is expected to be back online at any time, said Griffith. The plant does not give exact dates when it will be closed for production, since the deregulation of the nuclear power plant industry made Seabrook Station competitive. -------- MILITARY -------- us Soldier Killed Herself After Objecting to Interrogation Techniques Being Used on Iraqi Prisoners Tuesday, November 7th, 2006 Democracy Now! http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/11/07/1445239 Did the torture of Iraqi prisoners lead an American soldier to take her own life? The question is being raised on the heels of new-disclosed military documents kept under wraps for the past three years. Specialist Alyssa Peterson was twenty-seven years old when she died on September 15th, 2003. She was the third female soldier to lose her life in the Iraq war. Peterson was assigned as an interrogator to a US air base in Tal Afar. The military listed her death as the result of a: "non-hostile weapons discharge." But the newly uncovered military documents reveal Peterson actually shot herself with her service rifle. The documents also show her suicide came just two weeks after she refused to take part in further interrogations of Iraqi prisoners and had asked to be reassigned. Peterson had taken part in just two interrogation sessions. James D. Hamilton - Peterson's first sergeant -- told investigators: "It was hard for her to be aggressive to prisoners/detainees, as she felt that we were cruel to them." Military officials refused to describe what techniques Peterson had objected to and said all records of them had been destroyed. - Kevin Elston, the reporter who broke the story. Elston is host of Weekend Edition on the Arizona radio station KNAU. He speaks to us from Flagstaff, Arizona, Specialist Alyssa Peterson's hometown. Read Kevin Elston's article about Peterson's story. AMY GOODMAN: I’m joined now on the phone by the reporter who broke the story, joining us from Arizona radio station KNAU. His name is Kevin Elston. He speaks to us from Flagstaff, Arizona. Flagstaff was also Specialist Alyssa Peterson's hometown. Kevin Elston, welcome to Democracy Now! KEVIN ELSTON: Hi. AMY GOODMAN: It’s good to have of to have you with us. KEVIN ELSTON: Thank you. AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about this case and what you found and how you found it out? KEVIN ELSTON: Well, yeah, that sums it up. You know, she objected to the interrogation techniques that they were using at that particular base. It's interesting that it was seven months before the Abu Ghraib scandal broke. I have to wonder if there’s some connection. AMY GOODMAN: Tell us about Alyssa’s story, how she came to be in the military. KEVIN ELSTON: Yeah, she got a psychology degree from Northern Arizona University on an ROTC scholarship and then fulfilled her obligation by attending the interrogation school at Fort Huachuca in Southern Arizona. She spent a year at, I think it was, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in Arabic language school, before they sent her over there. She was in country for three weeks before she killed herself. AMY GOODMAN: And talk about the documents that you were able to get. KEVIN ELSTON: I got a copy of the death investigation. I got a copy of the criminal investigation and some excerpts from the autopsy. I didn't get the full autopsy. AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about her family and what her family understood? KEVIN ELSTON: Her family didn't really want to know how she died, for their own reasons. I think they suspected that it was a suicide. I talked to her brother the other day, and he said that he suspected it was a suicide, but they all decided that they didn't want to know the details. AMY GOODMAN: She was an Arabic-speaking interrogator who was trained at Fort Huachuca? KEVIN ELSTON: Yes. AMY GOODMAN: And what further information do you have about how she went from there to Iraq, and then exactly what she was doing in Iraq? KEVIN ELSTON: She was in the -- I think it was called the 110th Intelligence Battalion. It's part of the 101st Airborne Division. Like I say, she did train in Arabic in Kentucky, and then they sent her over there. She was in country for two days before she did her first interrogation. Her second interrogation was the day after that. The day after that, she attended suicide prevention training and requested to be transferred. She said that she could not carry out the interrogation techniques that they were using in the cage, which is what they called the interrogation unit at the Tal Afar Air Base, where she was assigned, and then she was reassigned to the gate, where she interviewed Iraqi workers and monitored Iraqi guards for what they thought might be duplicitous behavior. AMY GOODMAN: And is there any suggestion that she might have been killed by anyone else, or is it quite clear that she committed suicide at this point? KEVIN ELSTON: The military investigation concluded that she committed suicide. My understanding is that there was a suicide note found on her body, but I was unable to obtain a copy of that. AMY GOODMAN: We're talking to Kevin Elston, host of Weekend Edition on the Arizona radio station KNAU, who has been investigating the case of Flagstaff soldier, Specialist Alyssa Peterson, who was 27 years old, an Arabic-speaking interrogator who trained in Arizona, assigned to a unit at Tal Afar Air Base in northwestern Iraq, and according to a criminal investigation report recently released by the military under the Freedom of Information Act, Peterson had been in Iraq for two weeks and participated in two interrogations. Any further information about those interrogations? KEVIN ELSTON: No. I was unable to obtain any descriptions of those interrogations, and as I said, the FOIA officer for her unit said that all records of those interrogations had been destroyed as a matter of course when that unit was disbanded, upon returning from Iraq. AMY GOODMAN: Did that sound at all unusual to you? KEVIN ELSTON: It did to me, but I’m not in the military. AMY GOODMAN: And her parents, her family, her brother, do they want more information? KEVIN ELSTON: No, they definitely don't. AMY GOODMAN: Where are you going with the story now, Kevin? KEVIN ELSTON: I’ve been talking with some senior producers on my network and, you know, doing some further investigations. I filed additional FOIA requests, and I’m hoping to find out more information. AMY GOODMAN: Well, Kevin Elston, I want to thank you very much for being with us, host of Weekend Edition on the Arizona radio station KNAU in Flagstaff, Arizona. Thank you. -------- POLICE / PRISONERS / COURTS / JUSTICE -------- death penalty European Nations Oppose Execution of Saddam Hussein Tuesday, November 7th, 2006 Democracy Now! Headlines http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/11/07/1445222 Meanwhile a number of European nations are opposing the execution of Saddam Hussein. * Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi: "Full clear opinion that Italy is against the death penalty and so, even in such a dramatic case as Saddam Hussein we still think that the death penalty must not be put in action." British Prime Minister Tony Blair addressed the issue on Monday. * Tony Blair: "As I have already said, we are against the death penalty -- I mean, we're against the death penalty, whether it's Saddam or anybody else -- however what I think is important about this is to recognize that this trial of Saddam which has been handled by the Iraqis themselves and they will take the decision about this." -------- POLITICS -------- voting Election Protection 2006: Coalition Sending Voting Monitors to Polls, Sets Up Toll-Free Hotline Tuesday, November 7th, 2006 Democracy Now! http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/11/07/1445252 With new registration rules, faulty computer voting machines, and stringent identification requirements, many Americans are concerned over whether their vote will be counted on this 2006 Election Day. Well, three major civil rights groups have formed a new coalition to offer voters some Election Day assistance. The Election Protection Coalition is sending monitors to voting centers across the country. They've also established a toll-free hotline for voters to call in case they experience problems at the polls. The coalition is lead by the People For the American Way, the NAACP, and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. - Barbara Arnwine, executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The Lawyers' Committee is part of the Election Protection Coalition. AMY GOODMAN: Barbara Arnwine joins us on the phone right now. She’s executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, part of this coalition, on the phone from Baltimore, Maryland. Welcome to Democracy Now!, Barbara Arnwine. BARBARA ARNWINE: Well, good morning, and thank you so much. AMY GOODMAN: It's good to have you with us. People are already going to the polls. What have you heard, and how are you protecting the elections today? BARBARA ARNWINE: Well, we have over 2,000 lawyers spread over 19 states, making sure that we can respond, if necessary, either with litigation, either with working, interfacing with election officials or in the polling sites, correcting problems all over those 19 states, several counties. We're also running the nationwide hotline, the 1-866-OUR-VOTE hotline, 1-866-OUR-VOTE, 1-866-687-8683. We are receiving calls literally from all over the country. The hotline is just extremely busy. We are hearing the following problems. ID laws, they are causing major chaos throughout the country, lots of confusion. A whole lot of states, where there are no photo identification requirements, people are making folks produce photo IDs, even though there’s no such requirement legally. Indeed, many people might have read that the Secretary of State of Missouri herself was requested to provide ID three times yesterday, even though she has -- their state does not require it at this time. Machine problems, big problems. The most common problem we're hearing about is mis-registration of votes, that when people vote for one candidate, it's saying it’s the other candidate. That's a big problem all over the country. Polling places not opening, we’ve had that in Pennsylvania, some in Ohio. Illinois, believe it or not, has been one of our worst states this morning. And most of those problems are the lack of machines and the refusal of poll workers to give provisional ballots, as required by federal law. The other things we're seeing, again, is no provisional ballots not being given in other states. We have gotten a lot of calls from the big states so far -- have been Pennsylvania, Illinois -- Ohio dominates the hotline right now with the most problems -- Maryland, Georgia, and Florida. Those are the states that we're hearing from with a lot, a lot of issues. AMY GOODMAN: And again, the phone number, it’s 866-OUR-VOTE? BARBARA ARNWINE: That's correct. AMY GOODMAN: Our vote. BARBARA ARNWINE: Our vote. AMY GOODMAN: And what kind of help can you give? People report a problem, but are you telling people how they can remedy the problem? BARBARA ARNWINE: Oh, absolutely. What we do -- and, I mean, that's the whole purpose of the hotline, is to take care of the problems. We're not there just to make some kind of data entry. We want to help people, so what we're doing is that when voters are calling us, for example, when we got the call about the Prince George’s County identification problem in Maryland, we have already sent lawyers there to talk with the poll workers and the election judges to make them stop that. And if they don't stop it, we will sue them today. I expect that it will be resolved. We've been talking directly, when people have been told that they're not registered, we've been talking directly to the poll workers and saying, “Listen, here is where we find their registration. You're wrong,” and helping them to resolve that. AMY GOODMAN: Barbara Arnwine, we're going to have to leave it there, but we hope to talk to you again tomorrow to get reports on what has happened. Again, that number, if you have any problem voting, is 866-OUR-VOTE. Barbara Arnwine, executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. -------- ENERGY Russia, Slovakia to agree deals on gas and nuclear power MOSCOW (AFP) Nov 07, 2006 http://www.spacewar.com/2006/061107134707.s11dsgxk.html Russian President Vladimir Putin and Slovak President Ivan Gazparovic agreed Tuesday to conclude new gas transit deals and expand nuclear cooperation. "Agreements on supplies and transit of gas through Slovakian territory expire in 2008. Today we have agreed in principle on concluding new long-term contracts," Putin said in Moscow without providing details of the future contracts. Putin stressed Slovakia's importance as a transit route for Russian gas to Europe, saying: "Our energy deliveries to consumers on the European continent depend largely on the effectiveness of our cooperation." Most Russian gas supplies to Europe travel via Ukraine to Slovakia's pipeline system, then on to Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary. Putin also noted that Russia supplies about 90 percent of Slovakia's energy demand. The Slovak president welcomed planned cooperation on "building new nuclear energy blocks in the future. "Views on nuclear energy are changing... in the EU, and we see prospects for cooperating with the Russian Federation in this sphere," Gasparovic said. Russia is prepared to modernize two Slovak nuclear power plants and to build more electric and hydroelectric power plants in the country, the Kremlin said in a statement. Bilateral trade has risen rapidly between the two countries, jumping by 58 percent in the first eight months of the year over the same period in 2005 to 3.7 billion dollars (2.9 billion euros). ---- IEA says future of energy is nuclear Tuesday, November 07 2006 (BizWorld) http://www.businessworld.ie/livenews.htm?a=1555932 Nuclear power can help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and provide reliable electricity in the future, but the technology must first win a battle for public opinion, the International Energy Agency said. Nuclear power has two main advantages over rival energy sources, the IEA said, namely that it produces no greenhouse gas emissions and only requires uranium as a resource, which is found in abundance in stable, democratic countries. 'These two advantages make nuclear power a potentially attractive option for enhancing the security of electricity supply - if concerns about plant safety, nuclear waste disposal and the risk of proliferation can be solved to the satisfaction of the public,' the IEA said. Interest in nuclear energy has spiked owing to sharp rises in gas and oil prices in the last three years, with China, the US, India, Russia, Britain, France and Finland all looking at it with renewed interest. 'Concerns over energy security, surging fossil fuel prices and rising carbon dioxide emissions have revived discussion about the role of nuclear power,' the IEA said. Under IEA forecasts based on current trends, the proportion of energy generated from nuclear power is set to fall in the period to 2030, assuming few new reactors are built and several existing ones are retired. Overall nuclear power generation capacity is set to increase to 368 gigawatts in 2005 to 416 gigawatts in 2030, butthis is below growth in demand. Under a different scenario mapped out by the IEA, which assumes more favourable policies from national governments, nuclear power could rise to 519 gigawatts by 2030, resulting in an increase in its share in the energy mix and significant fall in emissions. 'Nuclear power could help address concerns about over-reliance on fossil-fuelled electricity generation, especially worries about climate change and increasing dependence on gas imports', the IEA said. ---- IEA goes nuclear Tuesday, November 07, 2006 American Public Media http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2006/11/07/AM2006110710.html?refid=0 For the first time in its 32-year history, the IEA has called on the world to create more nuclear energy. Carola Hoyos of the Financial Times says it's not surprising. SCOTT JAGOW: The International Energy Agency took a bold step today. For the first time in its 32-year history, the IEA called on the world to create more nuclear energy. The agency warned an oil shortage is coming. Carola Hoyos is Chief Energy Correspondent with the Financial Times. She says the endorsement of nuclear reflects what many countries are already thinking. CAROLA HOYOS: Nuclear allows governments to hold energy in their own hands rather than depend on others for their energy, and so it's a very attractive option. Plus obviously there's some pretty big companies that could make some money off this. The IEA also predicted that the oil fields the U.S. and Europe are using to reduce dependence on OPEC will peak in the next decade. -------- alternative energy Clean energy is 'cost effective' Tuesday, 7 November 2006 (BBC) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6121936.stm Using cleaner and more efficient energy not only helps the environment but also makes economic sense, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). However, nations are likely to stick to fossil fuels, leading to a "dirty, expensive and insecure future", the IEA's World Energy Outlook reported. Using renewable power and nuclear energy could help the shift from fossil fuels, the agency said. The greatest future demand for energy will stem from China and India. 'Cost-effective' The World Energy Outlook, which looks at energy trends to 2030, says that the world faces two related energy threats. One is inadequate and insecure energy supplies at affordable prices, and the other is environmental damage stemming from over-consumption of energy. "The good news is that these [alternative] policies are very cost-effective," said IEA executive director Claude Mandil. "There are different upfront costs involved, but they are quickly outweighed by savings in fuel expenditure," he said. Each extra $1 invested in more efficient electrical equipment and appliances avoids more than $2 in power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure, the report says. The argument that switching to cleaner, more sustainable energy makes economic sense is being increasingly voiced. The IEA report comes on the heels of the Stern report, commissioned by the UK government, which argued that extreme weather could shrink the global economy by 20%. Demand Based on the IEA's alternative model, the agency forecasts that energy demand could be cut by 10% by 2030 - an amount equivalent to China's current annual output. One upshot of this scenario would be a 16% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. But if nothing is done and energy demand continues, without underlying changes being made, primary energy demand would rise by 53% between 2006 and 2030. The report identifies that underinvestment in new energy supply as a "real risk". About half of all investment required is in developing countries, but "it is far from certain that this investment will actually occur", the report said. By 2010, China will be the world's largest emitter of CO2, overtaking the US, the report predicts. Such an increase would "amplify the magnitude of global climate change". Other energy As part of the proposed solution, the IEA says nuclear power could play a major role in reducing the reliance on imported gas and mitigate the impact of CO2 emissions. "But financing the upfront investment cost may remain a challenge," stressed Mr Mandil. In addition, biofuels could play a significant role in meeting future energy needs for road transport, helping to diversify energy and reduce emissions.