Antinuclear

Australian Uranium Association resigned to inevitable fall in uranium sales

Simon Clarke, communications director for the Australian Uranium Association, said the Fukushima incident had hurt demand for Australian uranium, and the new policy would see an overall reduction in exports

“We would very much prefer to have the whole Japanese nuclear fleet back in the game, but obviously that’s not going to happen,” he said……would mean  a fall in sales for Australian producers ERA and BHP Billiton.

Tetsunari Iida, who heads Japan’s Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies, hopes Japan can become a leader in renewable technology and come to depend solely on renewable sources. 

Gas the winner as Japan crafts its post-tsunami energy plan BY: RICK WALLACE  The Australian July 26, 2012 “…the nation looks to reduce its dependence on nuclear energy after the Fukushima disaster. The policy will not be released for at least another month, but three scenarios have emerged from the sometimes fractious deliberations.

The impact on Australia — which provides 20 per cent of Japan’s natural gas, 66 per cent of its thermal coal and more than one quarter of its uranium — will be slightly different in each case. Under the first scenario (the least radical and most favoured by industry), nuclear power would provide 20-25 per cent of Japan’s energy needs, down from its pre-Fukushima level of 30 per cent.

The middle scenario would see nuclear power provide 15 per cent and
would allow for the closure of many of the country’s 50 operating
reactors, especially those more than 40 years old.

Under the final scenario, arguably the one with most public support
but little practical chance of being adopted, nuclear power would be
phased out.

Another proposal, for nuclear to make up 35 per cent of the generation
mix, was discarded during pre-cabinet deliberations…. Simon Clarke, communications director for the Australian Uranium Association, said the Fukushima incident had hurt demand for Australian uranium, and the new policy would see an overall reduction in exports
“We would very much prefer to have the whole Japanese nuclear fleet back in the game, but obviously that’s not going to happen,” he said.

Mr Clarke said he believed Japan would opt to retain 20-25 per cent
nuclear, but this would still mean a fall in sales for Australian
producers ERA and BHP Billiton. ….Tetsunari Iida, who heads Japan’s Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies, hopes Japan can become a leader in renewable technology and come to depend solely on renewable sources. But in the medium term, he agrees roughly with the goals in
the government’s document: that renewable sources should account for
30 per cent by 2030, and they would need to be 20 per cent by 2020 to
achieve that.

Japan trails the rest of the world when it comes to renewable energy,
and its current share of 10 per cent is almost all hydroelectric
power, which cannot be increased.

Mr Iida says solar will be the first key source, followed by wind.
While Japan, a volcanic archipelago, has vast geothermal potential,
layers of regulation and the backlash from landowners means projects
are almost impossible to develop in under 10 years without big reforms
to zoning laws.

Mr Iida said that in the last 10 years there had been a 20-fold increase in renewable energy investment and that amount would grow another 10 times in the next 10 years.

July 26, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, business, uranium