Uranium and Nuclear Power Industry – Page 49

[Saskatchewan] Mining exploration spending forecast to mirror ’13 – by Scott Larson (Regina Leader-Post – May 2, 2014)

May 2, 2014

http://www.leaderpost.com/index.html

The amount of capital invested in mining exploration in Saskatchewan this year will mirror last year’s total of $236 million, says Gary Delaney, chief geologist with the province’s Ministry of the Economy.

“Most of the focus is between potash and uranium, but we will see a few million in gold and I suspect we might see a little more optimism in the diamond area,” said Delaney, who spoke at the fourth annual Saskatchewan Mining conference Thursday in Saskatoon.

The ministry conducts a survey to see how much was spent last year and what people are planning to spend this year (estimated at $234.6 million). That ranks Saskatchewan fourth in mining exploration expenditures in Canada.

Spending in 2014 will be split fairly evenly between juniors (who don’t have production) and major producers, he said. It has been a rough few years for junior miners trying to raise capital. Between 2012 and 2013, the amount of money junior companies were able to raise dropped by 50 per cent. “These are pretty rough times,” Delaney said.

Uranium There are bright spots, like the Patterson Lake South uranium discovery by Fission and Alpha Minerals in the Athabasca Basin. Companies with stakes in that area have been able to raise money.

Elliot Lake marks National Day of Mourning – by Kevin McSheffrey (Elliot Lake Standard – April 30, 2014)

May 1, 2014

http://www.elliotlakestandard.ca/

The National Day of Mourning is aimed at remembering those workers who died on the job or as a result of a workplace accidents or illnesses. Sue Girard, a representative from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, was the master of ceremonies at the event.

She reminded the crowd gathered at the Miners’ Memorial that the Day of Mourning was created 30 years ago by the labour movement to increase awareness of on-the-job injuries and fatal workplace accidents.

The following year, 1985, it was recognized by the Canadian Labour Congress. Eight years later, the federal government also recognized the day. Girard added that the Day of Mourning is recognized on more than 80 countries.

She continued by saying that Canada has some of the best occupational health and safety laws in the world. However, workplace deaths continue to rise in Canada. “In 2012, (a total of) 977 workplace deaths were reported in Canada, a six per cent increase over 2011,” Girard said.

“Statistics published by the Association of Workers Compensation Boards of Canada for 1993 to 2013 show that during this 20-year period, more than 18,039 people died as a result of workplace accidents.”

Rio Tinto’s stance on Kakadu cleanup alarms Indigenous owners – by James Norman (The Guardian – April 24, 2014)

April 24, 2014

http://www.theguardian.com/uk

Giant says rehabilitation of uranium mine – site of a radioactive spill last year – is a matter for its Australian subsidiary

It’s a long way from central London to Kakadu national park in Australia’s Northern Territory. When Rio Tinto’s chief executive, Sam Walsh, addressed shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting last week, there was a strong sense of the distance.

Walsh refused to offer any guarantees that the mining giant would help its Australian subsidiary company Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) clean up the site of its Ranger uranium mine within the park.

“This is a public Australian company and clearly that is an issue for them,” Walsh said. When pressed on the point he added: “We are clearly shareholders, but it is a matter for all shareholders and a matter for the ERA board.” The Ranger mine was in the news in December last year when a leach tank containing 1.4m litres of acidic radioactive slurry leaked.

Walsh’s words were alarming for Mirarr traditional owners who live in the park and are no strangers to negotiating with mining companies. They are anxious about ERA’s commitment to the rehabilitation of the site.

Canada knew nuclear deal with China could be seen as ‘weak’: Docs – by Carl Meyer (Embassy News – April 16, 2014)

April 16, 2014

http://www.embassynews.ca/

Briefing notes say even though safeguards changed, non-proliferation policy would still be achieved.

After a major Canadian uranium mining firm landed deals with Chinese state-owned enterprises, the Harper government met several times with the firm and then announced a new protocol to ship raw Canadian uranium directly to China—even though it knew the protocol’s safeguards could be perceived as “weak,” government documents show.

Nuclear disarmament advocates fear the new scheme is an example of commerce driving policy in Ottawa. They say it could set a precedent that countries can establish workarounds to international nuclear security standards if the status quo was seen to be restricting potential trade.

“Commercial interests, as important as they are, must be shaped and constrained by non-proliferation considerations,” said Cesar Jaramillo, program officer for space security and nuclear disarmament at Waterloo-based Project Ploughshares.

But Canada says the deal with China will ensure Canadian uranium is used only for “strictly peaceful, non-military purposes” and that the new requirements are “appropriate to the level of the proliferation risks involved.” The Chinese Embassy also assured Canadians that its nuclear facilities are safe and under control.

Uranium workers dying after time at Namibia mine, report warns – by John Vidal (The Guardian – April 15, 2014)

April 15, 2014

http://www.theguardian.com/uk

Miners who dug ore to supply the military found to be dying of cancers and other illnesses at Rio Tinto’s Rössing mine

Miners who dug uranium ore that supplied the British and US military in the 1970s with the raw material for bombs and civil nuclear power are reported to be dying of cancers and unexplained illnesses after working in one of Africa’s largest mines.

A study based on questionnaires of current and former workers at the giant Rio Tinto-owned Rössing uranium mine in Namibia says that everyone questioned was aware of people who are now suffering lung infections and unknown illnesses thought to be linked to their work.

The mine, in the Namib desert, produces around 7% of the world’s uranium but was operated with rudimentary safety when it opened in 1976. “People get sick. We are seeing it in people that have worked for Rössing for a long time. They just go back and die after working at Rössing,” one man told researchers working with Earthlife Namibia and the Labour Resource and Research Institute.

Challenges ahead to sustain Saskatchewan’s rate of economic growth – by Meaghan-Craig (Global News – April 9, 2014)

April 10, 2014

http://globalnews.ca/toronto/

SASKATOON – Experts and mining leaders are weighing in on a new report that suggests Saskatchewan cannot sustain its current rate of economic growth.

According to a new study released Wednesday, while it’s a good time to be living in Saskatchewan, we may be relying too heavily on high commodity prices.

“For opportunity to continue you can’t rest on your laurels and what worked 10 years maybe doesn’t work the same way anymore,” said Doug McNair, with Certified Management Consultants of Saskatchewan.

The report by The Institute of Certified Management Consultants of Saskatchewan says the province’s rapid growth has been strongly influenced by the global commodity supercycle.

Throwing stones in a glass Dacha: The West’s metal vulnerabilities – by Christopher Ecclestone (Mineweb.com – April 4, 2014)

April 7, 2014

http://www.mineweb.com/

Christopher Ecclestone of Hallgarten & Company addresses supply issues the West faces with Russia as adversary.

LONDON – Some have accused the EU and U.S. of soft-pedaling on the Crimea/Ukraine issue. But might these economic powers think twice before stirring up too much of a ruckus? The EU is particularly vulnerable to Russia cutting off natural gas exports and the U.S. has to play nice with Russia to keep getting cheap uranium supplies.

According to the US Energy Administration, in 2011 the United States mined nine percent of the uranium consumed by its nuclear power plants. The remainder was imported, principally from Russia (50%), Canada, and Australia. As uranium bulls will ceaselessly inform you the supply situation is tight and if it wasn’t for those pesky Russians the price would be a lot higher.

We usually do not make common cause with the tin-foil-hatted but would beg to agree with the uranium bulls. It is a truism that the unwinding of the Soviet stockpiles have beggared the global uranium mining industry and that the great day will be when an end to this attrition is seen.

Feds reach $5.15B settlement over [Arizona] mining cleanup – by FELICIA FONSECA, ERIC TUCKER and DINA CAPPIELLO (Associated Press – April 04, 2014)

April 4, 2014

http://www.kltv.com/

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) – For decades, uranium ore was mined from the Lukachukai Mountains of northeastern Arizona, providing Navajos with much-needed employment but leaving behind a legacy of death and disease on the reservation.

Uranium waste was thrown over the mountainside and carried by rain across the remote but scenic land used by hikers, anglers, medicine men and Navajo shepherds. The roughly 50 mine sites were eventually abandoned without cleaning up the contaminated waste.

The Navajo Nation now has its best chance yet to address what has been a source of heartache for families. The federal government announced Thursday that it reached a $5.15 billion settlement with Anadarko Petroleum Corp. for the cleanup of thousands of long-contaminated sites nationwide. About $1 billion will go to the 50 sites on the country’s largest American Indian reservation.

The settlement that resolves a legal battle over Tronox Inc., a spinoff of Kerr-McGee Corp., is the largest ever for environmental contamination. The bulk of the money – $4.4 billion – will pay for environmental cleanup and be used to settle claims stemming from the legacy contamination. Anadarko acquired Tronox in 2006.

COLUMN-Cheaper Asian LNG depends on coal, Japan nuclear – by Clyde Russell (Reuters U.K. – March 25, 2014)

March 25, 2014

http://uk.reuters.com/

(Reuters) – Asian spot liquefied natural gas prices have started their seasonal downturn after the winter peak, but how far they will fall depends on whether coal remains cheap and if Japan restarts some nuclear capacity.

LNG for May delivery was around $16.50 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), down from levels above $20 per mmBtu last month, reached as utilities re-stocked after peak winter demand. Last year, spot LNG LNG-AS fell 28 percent from the peak of $19.67 per mmBtu on Feb. 18 to a low of $14.13 on May 3.

Prices peaked at $20.50 per mmBtu on Feb. 7 this year, and a drop of a similar magnitude would see them fall to about $14.76 around May. However, much will depend on whether Japan does restart some nuclear generation, and whether it and China are willing to use cheaper coal despite the higher pollution.

None of Japan’s reactors, which used to supply about 20 percent of the nation’s electricity, are currently online, although two are now on a shortlist for a final round of safety checks.

Public scepticism remains high three years after the earthquake and tsunami that caused the destruction of the Fukushima plant, which led to the idling of nuclear generation.

Out of sight, out of mind [Nuclear Waste] – Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal Editorial (March 23, 2014)

March 24, 2014

Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.

IT has been 35 years since the governments of Canada and Ontario established the Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program to develop a concept to safely and permanently dispose of the radioactive byproducts of nuclear energy. We are told it will be 2035 before a repository can be operating. So there is no hurry.

It took authorities just a year, though, to propose deep geological disposal in Northern Ontario’s granite as opposed to finding a way to keep the stuff near to where it is produced in southern Ontario.

There is a great deal to be said for geological disposal. Earthquakes are rare here and not violent. What ground movement there is would not be enough to dislodge lead-lined canisters filled with nuclear waste stored 500 metres down in rock caves backfilled with concrete. Groundwater movement is minimal. Still, nuclear waste remains radioactive for a long time.

So there is a risk, however small, no matter where this material is stored. Would the risk be greater in a vault of some description near the reactors in southern Ontario? Would terrorists be more likely to try to steal it there than here or enroute?

Johannesburg’s Golden Legacy Includes Radioactive Dump – by Kevin Crowley (Bloomberg News – February 10, 2014)

March 17, 2014

http://www.bloomberg.com/

Johannesburg sits atop the world’s most productive gold reef — a staggering 40,000 tons of the precious metal has been mined from it during a history tracing back 130 years. That legacy of riches has left behind a toxic inheritance: radioactivity from uranium hauled up in the mining process.

Scientists have found uranium quantities in rivers west of the city to be as much as 4,000 times natural levels and in tap water as much as 20 times higher. A soil sample taken by Bloomberg News and tested by government-certified WaterLab Ltd. from pumpkin roots grown a little more than a mile from a recently closed gold mine contained five times more uranium than background levels considered normal by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Residents of Johannesburg and surrounding communities live among an estimated 600,000 metric tons of uranium buried in waste rock and covering an area four times the size of Manhattan, according to university researchers. Another undetermined amount lies below ground, where water has filled abandoned mines and leaks into the environment.

“There’s nowhere in the world where you’ll find so many people living alongside such a vast amount of ore-bearing uranium,” said Carl Albrecht, head of research at the Cancer Association of South Africa, or Cansa.

Cameco finally starts up production at Cigar Lake after years of delays – by Peter Koven (National Post – March 14, 2014)

March 14, 2014

The National Post is Canada’s second largest national paper.

Thirty-three years after it was discovered, and nine years after construction began, Cameco Corp. has finally brought the much-anticipated Cigar Lake uranium mine into production.

The company made the landmark announcement on Thursday. And after a seemingly endless string of delays and setbacks at the giant Saskatchewan-based project, it must have come as a relief.

“There were a lot of doubters who said it would never be done,” chief executive Tim Gitzel said in a phone interview from the mine site. “But I never gave up on the creativity and the perseverance of our workforce.”

When Cameco’s board approved construction of Cigar Lake in 2004, the expected capital cost was $450-million and first production was planned for 2007. By the end of last year, the cost was a staggering $2.6-billion and it still wasn’t in production. Needless to say, it has been a much tougher process than Cameco ever imagined.

ANALYSIS-Small U.S. uranium miners make contrarian bet by ramping up output – by Rod Nickel (Reuters U.S. – March 5, 2014)

March 5, 2014

http://in.reuters.com/

TORONTO – (Reuters) – Sinking prices for uranium in the past three years have caused many of the world’s biggest uranium miners to scale back production plans or defer projects, but two small U.S. producers are bucking the trend by planning to increase output this year and investors have sent their share prices surging as a result.

Uranium prices are hovering near eight-year lows because an earthquake and tsunami struck Japan in March 2011, crippling the Fukushima-Daiichi atomic power plant, and leading to the shutdown of nearly all reactors in the country, which previously relied on nuclear sources for 30 percent of its power. The disaster crimped Japanese demand for uranium and fueled fears about a backlash to nuclear power.

Last month, Japan included nuclear power in its draft energy plan, easing doubts about the industry and boosting uranium company shares. The spot uranium price, however, remains weak and companies scaled back production and halted expansion plans that curbed potential output by 20 million to 25 million lbs (9 million to 11.3 million kg), according to Edison Investment Research. That amounts to 16 percent of estimated global production last year.

Cameco Welcomes Nuclear Commitment in Japan Draft Policy – by Liezel Hill and Christopher Donville (Bloomberg News – February 26, 2014)

February 26, 2014

http://www.bloomberg.com/

Cameco Corp. (CCO), Canada’s largest uranium producer, welcomed a commitment by Japan to nuclear power almost three years after the meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant.

As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks the restart of the nation’s 48 reactors, all of which are idled for safety checks, the government yesterday presented its draft energy policy showing nuclear as an important component in the nation’s future energy mix. Cameco rose the most in more than three years in Toronto and other uranium stocks soared. Paladin Energy Ltd. (PDN) surged 21 percent in Sydney trading today, its biggest one-day gain in more than nine years.

“To put it out now in black and white is very encouraging,” Cameco Chief Executive Officer Tim Gitzel said yesterday in an interview. “The process is unfolding as we thought it would, it’s just taking longer” than expected.

Uranium prices have slumped 47 percent since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that crippled Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s nuclear power plant. The disaster led to Japan suspending its fleet of reactors. Some of those plants will come back online this summer, Takayuki Sumita, director-general for oil, gas and mineral resources at Japan’s ministry of economy, trade and industry, told a Singapore conference yesterday.

From Warheads to Cheap Energy – by William J. Broad (New York Times – January 27, 2014)

February 10, 2014

http://www.nytimes.com/

Thomas L. Neff’s Idea Turned Russian Warheads Into American Electricity

As the Cold War ended in the late 1980s and early ’90s, a new fear arose amid the rejoicing and relief: that atomic security might fail in the disintegrating Soviet Union, allowing its huge stockpile of nuclear warheads to fall into unfriendly hands.

The jitters intensified in late 1991, as Moscow announced plans to store thousands of weapons from missiles and bombers in what experts viewed as decrepit bunkers, policed by impoverished guards of dubious reliability.

Many officials and scientists worried. Few knew what to do. That is when Thomas L. Neff, a physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, hit on his improbable idea: Why not let Moscow sell the uranium from its retired weapons and dilute it into fuel for electric utilities in the United States, giving Russians desperately needed cash and Americans a cheap source of power?

Last month, Dr. Neff’s idea came to a happy conclusion as the last shipment of uranium from Russia arrived in the United States.