China pressures Oz to meet uranium demand despite ongoing safety concerns
CHINA’S Vice-Premier Zhang Dejiang has announced that the country will accelerate the development of nuclear power.
China plans to build five additional power plants in 2009 on top of the 24 under construction and 11 already in operation.
Professor Liu Deshun, of China's Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology says that China does not have the resources to meet the demands of this rapid development. Deshun claims that the country is looking to Australia to meet the demand.
Chinese companies are looking to invest and Australia’s Minister for Resources, Martin Ferguson, has indicated the Federal Government is unlikely to stand in the way of expansion, subject to environmental and investment tests.
However, industry officials are still concerned over the safety of uranium mining and the safety of the nation as there are fears the uranium will be stockpiled and used for nuclear war.
Ferguson says Australia needs to increase uranium mining to meet the needs of Australia's second-biggest trading partner who will buy a lot more uranium if it is given half the chance.Uranium mining is permitted in Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory.
However, Premier Anna Blight recently won the Queensland election standing by her policy to not lift the state’s ban on uranium mining. Despite many among the government believing the block of yellowcake mining is an outdated policy, clearly voters disagree.
The Queensland's uranium reserves are worth about $20 billion and five mining projects in the state are on hold because of the ban.
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