JERUSALEM, Mar 08, 2010 -- Xinhua



Israel is interested in building a nuclear power plant to meet its skyrocketing demand for electricity, local daily The Jerusalem Post reported on Monday.

National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau is expected to make an announcement on this concern on Tuesday in Paris at an international energy forum co-sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to the report.

The Jewish state was invited to the conference by France, a leader in nuclear power generation and a likely partner in the Israeli plan, and officials from the two sides have discussed the possibility of a joint nuclear project, said the report.

Meanwhile, the Israel Atomic Energy Commission and the Israel Electric Corporation recently announced that they would begin planning the infrastructure for a civilian nuclear plant and training nuclear electrical engineers, added the report.

Israel has been bedeviled by a dire shortage of power supplies, yet hydroelectric production is unlikely in the arid country, and environmental concerns have closed the door for more coal-fired power plants.

The Jewish state, widely seen as the only country in possession of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, is not a signatory to the international nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and has adhered to what it dubs a policy of ambiguity.

Thus in order to build a civilian nuclear power plant, Israel must seek some sort of reconciliation with the terms of the treaty or find a way to bypass it altogether, according to the report.

The Jewish state has been accusing Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons and calling for crippling sanctions upon the Islamic republic, which Israel sees as its arch foe. Israel has refused to rule out the option of launching military strikes at Iran's nuclear facilities.

Iran firmly denies the Israeli charge, which has been echoed by the United States, and insists that its nuclear programs are purely for civilian purposes.

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