IEC, IAEC to develop nuclear infrastructure

Part of the plan includes the creation of an undergraduate program to train future electrical engineers specializing in nuclear power.

By EHUD ZION WALDOKS
The Israel Electric Corporation and the Israel Atomic Energy Commission on Tuesday signed an agreement to develop the engineering and technical infrastructure required to support a future nuclear power plant. While no such plant is currently in the works, the agreement is intended to preserve and pass on the nuclear knowledge which has been accumulated by the organizations, according to a statement.
Part of the plan includes the creation of an undergraduate program to train future electrical engineers specializing in nuclear power. There are very few engineers with an atomic background, and they are all getting old.
While nuclear power has become one of the staples of power generation in many countries around the world, it is unlikely to take a more prominent role in Israel in the near future. To develop civilian nuclear power, Israel would have to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and open its doors to international inspections. If this were to occur, Israel’s nuclear posture of “deliberate ambiguity” would be compromised. At a time when Iran is striving mightily for nuclear weapons, it is unlikely Israel would do anything to threaten its own alleged nuclear weapons capability.
France is currently the world’s expert on civilian nuclear power, whichgenerates 80 percent of its electricity. The US also generates asignificant portion of its electricity through nuclear power plants.