Israel may develop nuclear power.
The Olmert government announced Wednesday that it was investigating the feasibility of setting up the first Israeli nuclear power plant to deal with the country’s growing energy demands.
Israel currently has two nuclear reactors, at Dimona and Nahal Sorek, both officially for research purposes. Dimona is widely believed to have also produced fissile material for an undeclared Israeli nuclear weapons arsenal.
Yediot Achronot reported that Israel wants nuclear power to offset its consumption of imported oil and gas, but that it fears international regulations on atomic energy that could lead to calls for foreign inspections of Dimona.
But the Israel Atomic Energy Commission said in a statement, “It goes without saying that any nuclear power station set up in Israel would be subject to international oversight.”
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