Nuclear industry facing sunset, not new dawn
Industry executives and analysts suggest most of those new reactors are unlikely to be built on their proposed schedules, if at all….
Nuclear: New dawn now seems limited to the east, FT.com, By Ed Crooks September 12 2010 The renaissance of nuclear power is a much fabled beast that is often talked about but rarely seen. Continue reading
Quebec and Ontario rejecting nuclear power
Ontario is backing off nuclear power generation of the Canadian-developed CANDU variety, ….. Quebec has a golden opportunity to follow that example.
No to nuclear power, towns say, By Jan Ravensbergen, Montreal Gazette September 10, 2010, MONTREAL – More than 250 Quebec municipalities and regional municipal governments have banded together to demand the province shut the door once and for all on nuclear energy Continue reading
Australian Greens should avoid Peter Garrett’s fate
the experien
ce of Peter Garrett shows that the Greens should be wary ……If a Greens MP or senator were to accept a ministerial position related to the environment or climate change, they would inevitably be forced to compromise….For the sake of the party’s future success, the Greens should decline an environment ministry in the Gillard government.
Peter Garrett: a cautionary tale for the Greens, By Sara Phillips, ABC Environment | 10 Sep 2010 “………speculation that one of the Greens may be given an environment-related ministry in a show of rainbow-coalition unity – much in the way that the Tasmanian Greens have assumed cabinet positions in that state’s minority government. Continue reading
Cameco, BHP, Toro, planning uranium transport through Kalgoorlie and South Australia
Cameco may join with BHP Billiton and others…From there, the product may be sent by train to a port in South Australia,
Cameco May Work With BHP, Toro for Uranium Transport Hub in West Australia, Bloomberg, By James Paton – Sep 10, 2010 Cameco Corp. said it seeks to cooperate with companies including BHP Billiton Ltd. and Toro Energy Ltd. on transporting uranium oxide, potentially through a hub near Kalgoorlie in Western Australia…… Continue reading
Growing opposition in Germany to Merkel’s nuclear power deals
65 percent of respondents agree with the charge leveled by many in the German opposition that Merkel’s center-right coalition mainly took account of nuclear plant operators’ interests in drawing up its energy concept.
Poll: Germans oppose nuclear power extension – BusinessWeek, 10 sept 10, A majority of Germans oppose government plans to put off a shutdown of the country’s nuclear power plants by an average 12 years, according to a poll released Friday. Continue reading
BHP, Rio Tinto, Paladin want uranium sales to Russia, and no mining tax
The Australian Uranium Association says one of the first tests of Labor’s continuing support for the industry will be whether it goes ahead with uranium sales to Russia,…..also sought reassurances from the new Gillard government that her proposed 30 percent tax on iron ore and coal mines will not be extended to the uranium industry.
Australia uranium industry concerned over new govt Sep 9, 2010 SYDNEY, Sept 9 (Reuters) by Mark Bendeich Continue reading
Nuclear socialism – a bad economic choice
Unlike computers, solar panels, wind turbines and most other high tech projects, nuclear power plants and projects don’t go down in price over time. Instead, the costs escalate
(USA) Time to End Nuclear Socialism, Says New Study, Greentech Media, 10 Sept 10, A nuclear plant will cost $7,000 to $10,000 per kilowatt, says Mark Cooper of the University of Vermont. That’s more than wind, solar, storage and other renewables—and the price tag will continue to climb. It shouldn’t be called the French Nuclear Miracle, says Mark Cooper. It’s more like a recurring nightmare. Continue reading
29% voter swing to Greens in Northern Territory’s proposed nuke waste dump area
with many of the intervention’s most controversial elements still in place during Labor’s first term, some voters chose not to vote for either major party. Other issues, like the proposed Muckaty Station nuclear waste dump, seemed to have an effect.
In Tennant Creek, near where the facility would be built, Labor had a 24 per cent swing away from it in primary votes, while the Greens, who are opposed to the dump, achieved a swing of 29 per cent
The shifting tide of Territory politics, ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), By Katrina Bolton – Sep 9, 2010 Continue reading
Russia’s nuclear secrecy as it pushes for nuclear sales
From uranium to nuclear fuel to reactor design, building and operation, Russia wants a big slice of the nuclear ‘renaissance ’. Talk of nuclear accidents at reactors with incompetent management and under-trained staff doesn’t look good to potential investors.
What happened at Russia’s Kursk nuclear power plant? | Greenpeace International, by jmckeati – September 9, 2010 , “…..On July 22, it appears that one of the reactors at the plant may have come close a Chernobyl-style disaster……..official details from the authorities are few and sketchy. The story that is slowly leaking out however, via Bellona, is one of a highly dangerous mix of incompetence, arrogance, cover-up and propaganda. Continue reading
Poor economic outlook adds to opposition to Angela Pamela uranium mine
Arid Lands Environment Centre, Jess Abrahams, 9 Sept 10, On the eve of the Federal election in Alice Springs, incumbent local member Warren Snowdon made an announcement that if they were re-elected, Labor would fund a study into the threat to Alice Springs’s groundwater supplies from a uranium mine at Angela Pamela.Uranium mining’s uncertain future in Australia
Toro Energy fell 4.8 per cent to 10c, Energy Resources of Australia lost 1.7 per cent to $14.26 and Paladin dipped 2.6 per cent to $3.81 “
Mining stocks wobble on uncertainty over minerals tax | The Australian, Andrew Burrell, Andrew Main, Matt Chambers 9 Sept 10, “……Amid uncertainty over the government’s proposed minerals tax, uranium stocks were hardest hit Continue reading
Australia’s uranium exports down 24%
$44b resource exports ‘second highest on record’ – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) 9 Sept 10, “……./The largest falls were in: thermal coal (for power stations), down 34 per cent to $11.9 billion; metallurgical coal (for steelmaking), down 33 per cent to $24.5 billion; refined petroleum products, down 28 per cent to $564 million; and uranium oxide, down 24 per cent to $751 million.
Australia’s”ethical” investments not always ethical when it comes to uranium
what about uranium mining?…. many consider uranium mining to be one of the most unethical activities of all.
A world of opportunities, Sydney Morning Herald, David Potts. September 6, 2010 -Ethical investment is a moral minefield …..there’s a fine line between what’s ethical and what’s mainstream. Continue reading
The $billions cost of cleaning up after the uranium industry
Regulators are examining hydrology, seismology, demographic impacts and effects on flora and fauna, as well as demanding complete plans for how ….. the site would be reclaimed.
Toxic legacy of uranium haunts proposed Colorado mill – The Denver Post, Nancy Lofholm, 5 Sept 10, GRAND JUNCTION — “………..More than a billion dollars has been spent cleaning up radioactive tailings piles and lessening toxic leaks into rivers and aquifers at nine defunct mills in Colorado. Nearly 20 million tons of radioactive tailings sit in disposal sites where they must be monitored in perpetuity. Hundreds of acres of unusable water fill contaminated aquifers. Continue reading
Prominent South Australian Liberals oppose uranium mining in Arkaroola
Several prominent Liberals strongly oppose mining in the Arkaroola area, including Senator Nick Minchin, former environment spokesperson Michelle Lensink and shadow treasurer Ian Evans.
Libs deadlocked on Arkaroola, The Independent Weekly, HENDRIK GOUT, 04 Sep 2010 The Liberal Party is has been unable to decide whether to support mining in the Arkaroola Wilderness. Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
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