UN official predicts nuclear growth

26.07.11

Yukiya Amano, the UN's top nuclear official, says nuclear power will continue to grow, despite the Fukushima crisis in Japan earlier this year.

China and India’s power programmes were cited as the main reason that nuclear was still seen as a growth market.

Nuclear power has been the subject of global debate since the Fukushima disaster caused partial meltdowns at three of the plant's reactors on March 11.

Germany has since decided to abandon nuclear entirely, whilst the UK recently announced the development of eight new nuclear plants.

Mr Amano told reporters: "It is certain that the number of nuclear reactors will increase, even if not as quickly as before.

"Some countries, including Germany, have reviewed their nuclear energy policy, but many other countries believe they need nuclear reactors to tackle problems such as global warming. Therefore, securing safety is more important than anything."

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