Uranium miner UraMin is the subject of a bidding battle between rival nuclear companies. Shares in UraMin rose 6p yesterday to 377p after France’s Areva, the world’s largest nuclear reactor maker, said it was in talks with the Aim-listed company. UraMin is also thought to be talking to China National Nuclear Corporation, which oversees the country’s civilian and military nuclear programmes. UraMin operates primarily in Namibia and South Africa, and has uranium development joint ventures in Canada. It also has three uranium projects that are due to commence production by the end of 2009.
Telegraph 15th June 2007 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/06/15/cnuramin115.xml
Wales
ROCK band the Super Furry Animals have called on the Assembly Government to make Wales a nuclear-free country. The band believe the Assembly should follow the example of the Scottish Parliament and announce no new nuclear stations will be built in Wales. Anti-nuclear campaigners want Wales’s only nuclear power station, Wylfa, on Anglesey, to close and the country to move towards renewable sources of energy.
Western Mail 15th June 2007 http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_headline=band-want-nuclear%2Dfree-wales%26method=full%26objectid=19298931%26siteid=50082-name_page.html
Utilities
Utilities have become much more positive about prospects for wind and nuclear power over the past year, according to a global survey of executives. The survey of 114 companies by PwC, the professional services firm, found that 48 per cent of executives expected wind power to provide an increasing share of electricity in their market over the next five years, up from just 17 per cent in the same survey a year ago. For nuclear power, 45 per cent in the latest survey expected an increase, up from 19 per cent last year.
FT 15th June 2007 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/eb5a1606-1aaa-11dc-8bf0-000b5df10621,_i_rssPage=5b566934-3013-11da-ba9f-00000e2511c8.html
Sweden
The power generation unit of German firm Siemens has been awarded a contract to upgrade the low-pressure turbines at unit two of the Oskarshamn nuclear power plant in Sweden by OKG AB, a Swedish subsidiary of German utility E.ON.
Energy Business Review 15th June 2007 http://www.energy-business-review.com/article_news.asp?guid=EEF8CF76-4887-4B67-816C-38C9CF3E4255
Nuclear Skills
BRITAIN does not have enough specialist engineers and scientists to build the next generation of nuclear power stations, the new head of the British nuclear industry has warned. Martin O’Neill, the Labour peer who has been appointed chairman of the Nuclear Industry Association, said Britain will have to lure foreign experts if the government’s plan for new reactors is to be realised.
Scotsman 15th June 2007 http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=936142007
