Europe rebuilds uranium inventories
In response to energy security concerns, EU-27 utilities in 2006 and 2007 started rebuilding inventories of uranium, almost entirely under long-term contractual arrangements with suppliers. The average price of deliveries under these contracts in 2007 was EUR 41/kgU (USD 21.60/lb U3O8), up 6.7% from 2006. Russia overtook Canada as the largest uranium supplier, with 25% of total, followed by Canada 18% then Niger 17% and Australia 15%. However some of the Russian supply of fabricated fuel may have come from Kazakhstan or elsewhere. Some 31% of enrichment services came from Russia. Plutonium use in MOX fuel was 8.6 tonnes, displacing 1035 tonnes of natural uranium in 2007 and bringing the cumulative total used in the EU since 1996 to 104 tonnes.
Euratom Annual Report 2/7/08.
Jordan firms up nuclear plans
Jordan has signed agreements with both Canada and UK to advance its nuclear power and desalination plans. Jordan imports about 95% of its energy and expects to need an additional 1200 MWe of generating capacity by 2015, which is the target date for operation of its first nuclear power plant. Also it has a "water deficit" of about 500 million cubic metres per year. The government has set out a program for nuclear power to provide 30% of domestic electricity by 2030, and to provide for exports. The country has significant uranium resources and a feasibility study on recovering uranium as a by-product of phosphate production is under way. A nuclear cooperation agreement with France relates to this. The new agreement with the UK is wide-ranging, and that with Canada is specifically focused on utilizing the 750 MWe Enhanced Candu-6 reactor for power and desalination, using indigenous unenriched uranium as fuel.
WNN 2/7/08.
France announces new reactor plan
In a major speech on energy policy, President Sarkozy has announced that France will build a second 1650 MWe EPR nuclear unit, to follow that at Flamanville which is due to enter service in 2012. The site is to be decided next year and construction started in 2011. He said that as well as the EPR providing electricity 30% to 50% cheaper than that from gas or coal, "nuclear power is more than ever an industry of the future and a vital energy. Each EPR saves 2 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year when it replaces gas-fired power, and [avoids emission of] 11 million tonnes of CO2 per year when it replaces a coal power plant." However, energy security remains the most basic part of French energy policy as it has for 35 years, resulting in a 78% share of electricity from nuclear power.
Coincident with this, Areva's Creusot Forge subsidiary in Burgundy announced that it was investing to increase production of heavy nuclear components, including large reactor pressure vessels. This will give it a second source of supply for EPR components, additional to Japan Steel Works. Since 1975 Areva's Chalon/St. Marcel facility, also part of the Burgundy Nuclear Partnership grouping, has produced steam generators and pressure vessels up to 500 tonnes for all the French power reactors as well as exports. This Le Creusot expansion is one of a number of initiatives in Europe, North America and East Asia to increase production capacity for heavy nuclear components. Early in June Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) announced that it is doubling capacity for large nuclear power plant components, notably reactor pressure vessels, at its Kobe shipyard.
WNN 3/7/08, 9/6/08.
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