Hezbollah calls for Lebanese nuclear power plant

Hezbollah chief Nasrallah has called for a nuclear plant to solve Lebanon's power shortage.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday called on Lebanon to consider building a nuclear power plant in the energy-starved nation, writes the AFP newswire.

"I call on the Lebanese government to seriously consider ... building a nuclear power plant for the peaceful purpose of generating electricity, which would be more cost-efficient than the plan the government has endorsed," Nasrallah said in a speech broadcast via video link.

"Iran's Bushehr nuclear facility, which will provide a large part of Iran's electricity needs, cost much less than the (Lebanese) state's reform plan," Nasrallah said in a speech to mark an iftar, the evening meal that breaks the dawn-to-dusk Ramadan fast.
"We may even develop a nuclear plant that meets all of Lebanon's power needs and even sell power to Syria, Cyprus, Turkey, Jordan and other countries."
The Lebanese government in June adopted a six million dollar (4.7 million euro) reform plan for the electricity sector, which includes infrastructure for liquefied petroleum gas and a pipeline along the coast.
Electricity has been a constant concern since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war in Lebanon, which allocates the third largest slice of its budget to power supply, after debt servicing and salaries.

The country suffers daily power cuts, including in the capital where many businesses and apartment blocks use generators to tide them over during lengthy blackouts.

Angry Lebanese have staged a string of protests demanding better power supply, mainly in the impoverished north and in areas near the airport.

Hezbollah's main backer Iran said on Saturday it has started loading fuel into the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant, in the face of stiff opposition from world powers over its controversial atomic programme.

The United States has said there was no "proliferation risk" from the civilian plant because of Russian involvement.

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