Cabinet is Divided on the Issue of Nuclear Power Plants in Israel

A debate is shaping up in the government over the issue of nuclear power plants in Israel. Officials insist the decision should be made on the basis of the future energy needs and economic factors rather that the concerns raised by the nuclear accident in Chernobyl, the Ukraine, a week ago.

The Cabinet is divided. Gad Yaacobi, Minister for Economic Planning, and Gideon Patt, Minister of Science and Technology, advise against the purchase of nuclear reactors. But Energy Minister Moshe Shahal said it must not be ruled out under pressure of the disaster in the Soviet Union.

Yaacobi noted at Sunday’s Cabinet meeting that oil prices are expected to stabilize at a low level and stay there for some time. “To say the least, it is much less urgent to take decisions concerning this matter (nuclear reactors) now than it was two years ago.” he said.

Patt pointed out that a reactor would have to be located somewhere in the northern Negev for safety reasons. But such a site would add 50 percent to the nominal price of a reactor because of the high cost of providing water as a coolant. On top of this, he said, there was the cost of defense and security measures owing to the proximity of the reactor to the Egyptian border.

URGES WEIGHING THE SITUATION

Shahal insisted that Israel should continue to gather information and weigh the situation “without unnecessary public statements.” He said the problems of security and the price of oil were considerations.

Yuval Ne’eman, the leader of the Tehiya Party and a nuclear scientist, said in a radio interview over the weekend that the use of nuclear power to generate electricity is not urgent at the moment because of the low price of oil and coal. Ne’man, a former Minister of Science and Technology, suggested that any nuclear reactor in Israel should be located underground for security reasons.

He also thought Israel should concentrate on building its own reactor rather than purchase one abroad. Israel is said to have been negotiating for the purchase of a nuclear power plant from France. But the deal was stalled by problems of financing and credit.