rio

RIO showing obvious interet in Uranium.

Nuclear push 'driven by Rio agenda'
AAP July 22, 2009, 9:31 am
Rio Tinto's plea to the government over nuclear energy is a blatant push by the mining giant to protect its uranium interests, environmental groups say.
Rio Tinto has urged the federal government to consider all options, including the introduction of nuclear power, if it intends to meet climate change targets.
It argues the viability of renewable energies is overly optimistic, The Australian reports.
But Greenpeace's Steve Campbell says the appeal is an outrageous act of desperation.
"This is a shabby play by Rio Tinto to protect their business at the expense of the safety of people and the environment," he told AAP.
"Nuclear energy is too little, too late, too expensive and too dangerous to see any kind of response."
The only real and responsible way to deal with climate change was to rapidly implement renewable and energy-efficient policies, he said.
Rio Tinto, which owns a majority stake in one of Australia's biggest uranium producers, made its argument in a response to a government white paper on energy.
It calls on the government to immediately start reviewing a nuclear energy sector, which would clear the way for nuclear energy generation by 2030.
But the submission came just hours after Resources Minister Martin Ferguson reiterated the government's prohibition on nuclear power.
"The government's already made its decision," Mr Campbell said.
"Unfortunately that's to waste billions of dollars on another method that's not proven - that's carbon capture."
Greenpeace believes solar thermal energy is the way to go.