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Putin’s Power Play – How It Will Change the Uranium Sector

….Rosatom is an absolute giant in the global nuclear sector. The company builds more nuclear power plants worldwide than anyone else, with builds currently underway in China, Vietnam, India, Iran, and Turkey. The 21 new builds in Rosatom’s order book are worth US$50 billion….

http://www.caseyresearch.com/articles/putins-power-play-how-it-will-change-the-uranium-sector

Casey Research

May 15, 2013

The last time Vladimir Putin was president, he laid the foundation to pull Mother Russia from the wreck of economic chaos to a world power once again. This time, he’s ready to extend that influence to counter the West. His tools: Russia’s abundant resources of energy, including uranium.

There’s a new war developing on the continent, and the weapons this time will be oil wells, gas fields, and uranium mines, pipelines and ports, processing facilities, and supply deals.

Led by Russia’s vast resource wealth and China’s massive bank account, the countries of Asia and those along the Eurasian divide are realizing they do not want or need help from the West to achieve their goals. They are settling their differences, negotiating closer relations, and advancing their plans without as much as a phone call to Washington or Brussels.

After years of Western dominance in world affairs, they’ve had enough. And with Vladimir Putin back in as Russia’s president, this emerging bloc has its leader.

Vladimir Vladimirovich is a man of remarkable intelligence, determination, and ruthlessness. In many Russian eyes, that last attribute is far from a fault – they see him as a man’s man who restored their country’s pride, economy, and position of influence after a humiliating period they’d rather forget. If that has required trampling some citizen rights along with much of the country’s new capitalist class… well, nothing comes for free.

From the chaos of financial collapse and political turmoil in 1998, Putin increased GDP by an average 7% annually, cut in half the number of Russians living below the poverty line, grew industry by 75%, and doubled real incomes.

He’s achieved these accomplishments largely though development of energy resources. Under his guidance, Russia became a global energy superpower. Today, with a much-strengthened country under his feet, Putin will use his control over natural resources to pull leverage away from the United States and Europe.

It’s no secret that Putin disdains America’s self-appointed role as global policeman and holds Europe in equal contempt for generally supporting US foreign policy. The NATO campaign in Libya was perhaps a final straw: After Russia vetoed a UN motion to intervene in the civil war there, the US and its European allies turned to their military club NATO to further the regime change they desired. To Russia, at least, it was a snub intended to suggest that Russian opinion still doesn’t matter.

Now Putin’s primary goal is to prove that view wrong.

And he has the tools to do so. Among other things, he’s working to corner the uranium market – his country already controls 40% of global uranium enrichment capacity, the lion’s share of the world’s downblending facilities, and a fair chunk of the world’s uranium resources.

On top of that, the country’s nuclear power giant, Rosatom, builds more nuclear power plants than any other company in the world, with deals for 21 international reactors currently on the books.

The era of Putinization is about to begin, and we investors need to understand where it’s coming from and what it means. What’s on the table are investment trends and profits along with the balance of world influence…….

Uranium price likely to stagnate for many years

16 May 2013

http://www.fool.com.au/2013/05/16/uranium-on-the-nose/

May 16, 2013 - Posted by arclight2011 | Uncategorized