I/II. http://www.presstv.ir/detail/175040.html
<http://www.presstv.ir/detail/175040.html>Germany to close all nuclear plants *Sat Apr 16, 2011 3:15AM* Germany is speeding up plans to close all of its nuclear reactors as criticism over the government's nuclear plans has grown since the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster in Japan. Chancellor Angela Merkel invited the 16 German state premiers to the capital Berlin to discuss the country's energy policy, a Press TV correspondent in Berlin reported Friday. "We plan to phase out our nuclear energy and go for renewable energy," Merkel said to the premiers. Germany has shut down eight of its oldest nuclear reactors for a 90-day security assessment after the March 11 earthquake in Japan brought about the massive nuclear crisis in the Asian country. Germany's upper house, dominated by the opposition Social Democrats, called for the immediate closure of the eight reactors. The latest polls indicate that 76 percent of Germans prefer all 17 nuclear reactors in the country to be decommissioned. "We really have to phase out the nuclear energy and do our best to move towards renewable energy, Claudia Roth of the Green Party told Press TV. Outside the chancellery, several hundred people protested against the use of nuclear energy. Large nationwide demonstrations are expected for the 25th anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster next week. “Germany needs to take leadership and to move us as quickly as possible to a hundred percent renewable clean, safe energy," Kumi Naidoo with the Greenpeace International said. Germany's Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle has warned that replacing nuclear energy with renewable sources may cost the country as much as two billion euros each year. German opposition leader in the parliament has asked to assemble a special committee on energy transition. "We never had this kind of chaos and insecurity in our energy policy. We cannot build a future on this," Frank-Walter Steinmeier with the Social Democratic Party of Germany said. German Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen announced the government would offer five billion euros in soft loans to help investments in offshore wind power. Nuclear power accounts for about a quarter of Germany's energy supply. MN/JM/HRF II. http://www.tehelka.com/story_main49.asp?filename=Ws160411BUSINESS.asp <http://www.tehelka.com/story_main49.asp?filename=Ws160411BUSINESS.asp>India signs important n-energy deal with Kazakhstan *Manmohan Singh calls the pact, and other key agreements, among the biggest of his time* *Iftikhar Gilani * New Delhi Energy-starved India is looking to Kazakhstan to make up for a possible loss of nuclear energy from Japan in the aftermath of the 11 March earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan. This came through on 16 April when India signed an inter-governmental framework on civil nuclear cooperation with Kazakhstan. The pact and other key agreements were signed after talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana. “The inter-governmental framework agreement on civil nuclear cooperation signed between the two countries will broad-base the cooperation and is expected to cover aspects like research, technology transfer and exploration of uranium in Kazakhstan, which is known to have one of the richest reserves of the nuclear fuel that India needs in increasing quantity,” a release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi said. India and Kazakhstan already have civil nuclear cooperation since January 2009 when the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited and Kazakh nuclear company KazAtomProm had signed a memorandum of understanding during Nazarbayev’s visit to New Delhi. Under the contract, KazAtomProm supplies uranium to be used by Indian reactors. Singh described the agreements to explore Satpayev oil block, the cooperation in peaceful use of nuclear energy, and mutual legal assistance as major achievements of his visit. “We look forward to our continuing cooperation with Kazakhstan in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy,” he said. He said that in the light of the March tragedy in Japan, India has embarked on a comprehensive review of the security and safeguard procedures at nuclear plants. In turn, India would help Kazakhstan with business ventures in pharmaceuticals, information technology, and mining and would provide technical knowhow in fertilisers and science and technology. “I conveyed our offer to set up a joint Information Technology Centre of Excellence in the Eurasian University in Astana,” Singh said. Both governments also signed a roadmap for projects and activities to be undertaken between 2011 and 2014. They also agreed on the need to improve land connectivity so that trade and transit between India and Central Asia in general and Kazakhstan in particular can integrate the region. “We discussed the situation in Afghanistan and cooperation in international forums, including the United Nations and regional processes. We have agreed that our agencies will intensify dialogue in the fields of counterterrorism, illicit drug trafficking and extremism,” Singh said. During Nazarbayev’s visit in 2009, KazMunaiGaz had signed an agreement on transfer of 25 percent stake in the Satpayev oil block to OVL (ONGC Videsh Ltd), one of state-owned oil companies. After protracted commercial negotiations on implementation of this agreement, both sides finally reached an understanding during Singh’s visit. After Russia, Kazakhstan is the only country endowed to help India’s energy security. This includes nuclear fuel and hydrocarbons. It has huge reserves of uranium, oil and gas. Kazakhstan has the second-largest deposits of uranium at 1.5 million tonnes, constituting approximately 17 percent of the world’s total. It is poised to emerge as the number one supplier of uranium in the world. Astana is planning to increase uranium output capacity from the current 6,673 Metric Tonnes Uranium (MTU) to 30,000 MTU by the end of 2018. In 2008, the President of KazatomProm, the nodal national atomic company set up in 1997, announced that it aims to increase the share of uranium supply from the present 12 percent to 30 percent of total world uranium output by 2015. This is to be done through joint ventures with the following prospective shares in various segments: 12 percent of uranium conversion market, 6 percent of enrichment, and 30 percent of the fuel fabrication market. The nuclear agreement signed with Kazakhstan makes it the fifth country besides the US, France, Mongolia and Russia that would supply uranium to India for civilian energy purposes. Under the proposed agreement, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India will begin to import at least 120 tonnes annually of Kazakhstan’s uranium. Iftikhar Gilani is a Special Correspondent with Tehelka.com [email protected] -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB.
