Quake-prone Algeria says nuclear power inevitable

Mar 28, 2011

ALGIERS — Quake-prone Algeria said Monday that there was no alternative to nuclear power for its long-term energy needs, at a time when many countries are reassessing their stance in the wake of Japan's nuclear emergency.

"We don't have any other alternative," Algerian Energy and Mines Minister Youcef Yousfi told the national assembly during a briefing on the energy sector.

The minister, who was quoted by the state news agency APS, said Algeria "must prepare itself for this choice", noting that 10 to 15 years of studies would be needed before construction of its first nuclear power station.

Japan's March 11 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami, which has left at least 10,901 dead and 17,649 missing, also severely damaged its Fukushima nuclear plant northeast of Tokyo

Radiation from the plant has wafted into the air, contaminating farm produce and drinking water as well as seeping into the Pacific Ocean, although officials stress there is no imminent health threat.

Japan's nuclear emergency has prompted several countries to either order safety reviews, reassess their reliance on nuclear energy or in some cases shut down some of their aging facilities.

Algeria has set a 2020 target date for construction of its first nuclear power plant, after which it plans to build a new station every five years.

The country regularly experiences earthquakes, some of them major, including one of magnitude 6.8 which killed more than 2,000 people east of Algiers in May 2003, and another of 7.3 at El Asnam in October 1980 with a death toll of around 3,500.

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