Antinuclear

Australia’s mainstream media mindlessly regurgitates Uranium SA’s media release

The Australian media mindlessly regurgitates corporate media releases. Yesterday’s Herald Sun provided a glowing account of Uranium SA’s Annual Report, by its chairman Alice McCleary.  But – did any mainstream media look into that report, and its claims?

I was fascinated by Alice McCleary’s mention of “stripped of emotion”  – nuclear processes are environmentally OK etc. .  That is the traditional nuclear spin way of answering any claims of danger, environmental damage, health damage, nuclear weapons risk and so on.  Nuclear’s opponents are “emotional” “not rational” – so no need to answer their arguments.

Then she goes on to “Generation IV nuclear reactors which consume 100% of the energy in the uranium fuel, plus the depleted uranium from the enrichment process”.  What Is she talking about?        There are at least 6 different types of  “Generation IV nuclear reactors’ – all still in the design stage. They all use uranium in lesser quantities only. In the case of the much-touted Thorium reactor, uranium is used in small amounts to set off the fission process.  But really thorium reactors are being touted as a “welcome” alternative to uranium powered ones.

Anyway, the whole promotion for most  the Gen IV reactors is to use up the world’s embarrassing piles of plutonium as fuel – hardly a recipe for expanded uranium mining.

The optimism of the report is in fact, in contrast to the reality of the uranium industry’s prospects.  Even BHP’s cancelling of expansion of Olympic Dam has not helped the uranium industry’s market forecast. Paladin Energy made a huge loss on uranium , as did ERA last year.

September 13, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina reviews, South Australia