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U.N. watchdog urges Spain action on nuclear waste | Environment | Reuters

U.N. watchdog urges Spain action on nuclear waste

SEVILLE, Spain (Reuters) 5 Nov 08 – The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog on Wednesday praised Spain’s regulator but recommended stepping up efforts to find a permanent site for dumping spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste.

Urich Schmocker, head of an International Atomic Energy Agency mission to Spain, said building a central storage facility was just an interim solution……………………..

Spain’s eight aging nuclear power stations face an uncertain future, as operating licenses for seven of them are due for review between 2009-11.

That is within the mandate of Spain’s Socialist government, which has vowed to phase out nuclear power amidst a boom in renewable energy sources………………………………

As part of a bid to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce its heavy dependence on imported fuel, Spain has encouraged renewable energy and is now the world’s third-largest producer of wind power, with a capacity of 16,000 megawatts.

Spain is now also the world’s third producer of solar, and may have up to 1,800 MW by the end of the year.

November 7, 2008 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized