SYDNEY (AP):

Australia could have power-producing nuclear reactors within a decade, the head of a government-backed nuclear task force said yesterday.

Nuclear physicist Ziggy Swit-kowski is the head of a six-member investigation team that produced a report this week concluding that 25 nuclear reactors could be supplying a third of Australia's energy needs by 2050.

"(We) could see the first nuclear reactor in Australia as quickly as 10 years out," Switkowski told Ten Network television yesterday, adding that it would take much longer to create a network of nuclear power plants.

"Realistically, I think the figure would be 15 (years) and then you've got a future of several decades of building up a national network of reactors," he added.

Switkowski's report, commissioned by Prime Minister John Howard, also recommended that that Australia lift restrictions on the export and enrichment of uranium to boost the multimillion-dollar nuclear industry and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels.

Australia is one of the world's biggest producers of uranium, the ore used to fire nuclear reactors, but has only one reactor, a small medical facility.

Nuclear issues have been contentious in Australia for years because many people are worried about the dangers of an accident and how to dispose of nuclear waste.