Antinuclear

The powerful coal lobby in Australia has also come under a scanner for the role it may have played in blocking uranium sale to an energy-starved India. Even though Australian Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb said last weekend that the finishing line is in sight for supply of uranium to India, many experts are expressing doubts. Some of these sceptics blame the so-called Big Coal for pushing the finishing line further away…………

the coal mining industry in Australia is facing a bleak future as international prices for fossil fuels continue to fall. A clearly discernible downturn in the Chinese demand for Australian coal has not helped. Add to this is the increasing global preference for renewable energy to the mix and not too bright a future emerges for the coal industry.

While there are 1,300 mining firms in Australia, production is dominated by very large firms such as BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Xtrata,Shell Ch .. …

In this context, it perhaps makes sense that big coal miners in Australia see uranium as a competitor to fuel Indian power plants. This is where the PR managers of the mega coal mining companies step in.

If anyone nursed doubts about the existence or money power of the Australian coal lobby, they were dispelled exactly a year back when the coal industry lobbying machine launched a PR campaign titled ‘Australians for Coal’ to fight the market slump. The media splurge was designed to, as one industry commentator aptly put, defend its increasingly tattered social licence and a fast depleting market.

It is estimated that the campaign cost touched Aus $100 million.

The Big Coal clout was also evident when Australian PM Tony Abbott appointed CEO of the world’s second largest miner Rio Tinto Sam Walsh to the Australia-India CEO Forum. A number of big names in coal mining in both Australia and India have been included in the list.

It would, therefore, not come as a surprise that coal lobby could be working behind the scene to thwart the supply of uranium required by the Indian nuclear power plants. ……..

The finger-pointing at the coal lobby, which includes the Minierals Council of Australia, the NSW Minerals Council (NSWMC) and the Queensland Resources Council (QRC), has taken a new meaning as the Indian multinationals GVK and Adani Mining have joined their ranks. Adani Mining owner Gautam Adani is said to be close to the prime minister Modi. How this equation will work out on the uranium question is yet to be seen.  http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/47121242.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst