Main focus of Thursday, February 18, 2010

Obama plans to boost nuclear power

For the first time in three decades the US wants to build new nuclear power plants. Basing his decision on climate protection arguments, President Barack Obama has agreed to loan guarantees of more than eight billion dollars for the plan. But commentators deny the climate-friendly nature of atomic energy and suspect domestic political motives.

Süddeutsche Zeitung - Germany

US President Barack Obama's nuclear power plan is based on domestic political motives, writes the left-liberal daily Süddeutsche Zeitung: "For years the Republicans have been pushing to renew the country's nuclear capacity, dreaming of over 100 reactors. By acquiescing on nuclear power, the president hopes now for concessions regarding his climate protection law. But the bet will hardly pay off. As with the healthcare reform, Obama has dithered for too long on climate protection. His climate pact, with which he secured the agreement of the energy industry, is breaking up and the first businesses are jumping ship. The Republicans aren't blind to this fact, and consequently have no interest in gratifying Obama in an election year by supporting one of his major reforms. But there are also too many cowards among the Democrats, who are keeping a very low profile. A climate protection law with emission trading along European lines is not in the cards for the US in the years to come. But in ten years' time perhaps the country will have a couple more nuclear power plants." (18/02/2010)

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Der Standard - Austria

Nuclear power isn't all that climate-friendly, writes the daily Der Standard, calling on nuclear-free Austria to do more to promote alternative sources of energy: "People like to point to the fact that nuclear power facilities don't burn carbon to substantiate the claim that nuclear power is climate-friendly. However once you factor in the additional energy demands the situation looks very different indeed. Most people tend not to count the beans so closely, otherwise they'd realise that there are far better ways of using the resources required by the nuclear industry. For example renewable energy, or thermal insulation - an area with far more potential than the conversion to energy-efficient light bulbs which the EU is pushing through. But the EU also runs Euratom, a project that Austria continues to pay into. In so doing it promotes a policy that our politicians otherwise reject every time they address the subject. Questions of faith deserve more consistency." (18/02/2010)

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Expansión - Spain

The US government's nuclear policy is an affront to nuclear energy opponents all over the world, writes the business paper Expansión: "US President Barack Obama has decided to give nuclear energy a boost in the US by authorising the loans for the construction of two new nuclear reactors – the first to be built in three decades in the US. It's obvious that the US president's announcement, which in times of spending cuts triples the funding for this kind of energy production, is a windfall for nuclear energy all over the world and a slap in the face for all those who are against the construction of new nuclear plants, including [Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez] Zapatero."  (18/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Energy, » Spain, » U.S.

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