In the aftermath of Japan's nuclear crisis, Angela Merkel has begun a shift to move Germany away from nuclear power in efforts that will make the country much more reliant on Russian gas. Germany currently imports about 85 percent of its natural gas and is more reliant on Russia for its energy needs than the European Union as a whole. "So far the public debate in Germany has focused on the desire to exit nuclear energy with little thought being spared as to what is actually going to replace it," said Merkel. Public backlash against nuclear may result in seven plant closures, without a viable alternative power source. Merkel has voiced a desire to replace nuclear power stations with wind farms, but a study indicated that Germany would have to devote two percent of its land mass to the farms to fully replace nuclear. Industry group Bundesverband WindEnergie president said that technically 22 percent of the nation's land is suitable for wind energy, but woodlands, sanctuaries, and other protected lands put the realistic figure closer to eight percent. Italy also responded to a public backlash, placing a one-year moratorium on all new nuclear projects. Meanwhile, a senior official of the Mongolian MonAtom power company announced plans to tap the country's rich uranium resources to build the nation's first nuclear plant. The deputy chairman said that Japan's nuclear crisis would not have a lasting impact on the industry and that the company planned to finish the plant by 2020. In addition, Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas told journalists that the Czech Republic would not slow down nuclear production and may increase coal mining limits. For the full story, see http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-07/russian-gas-beckons-for-germany-as-merkel-turns-from-nuclear.html. For the story on a potential switch to wind, see http://inhabitat.com/?p=235641. For the story on Italy's nuclear future, see http://www.npr.org/2011/03/23/134784485/italy-freezes-its-nuclear-plan-after-japan-crisis. For the story on Mongolian nuclear power, see http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/07/us-mongolia-nuclear-idUSTRE73625A20110407. For the story on Czech nuclear power, see http://www.praguepost.com/business/8180-germany-does-a-nuclear-180.html.