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France’s drive to sell nuclear abroad, while getting out of it at home

Hollande-salesFrance on nuclear charm offensive in Saudi Arabia, By Geert De Clercq PARIS, Jan 18 (Reuters) – A top French minister and the chief executives of French utility EDF and reactor builder Areva are visiting Saudi Arabiathis weekend to build a case for selling French nuclear reactors to the oil-rich country.

Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg will meet with Saudi officials and with representatives of EDF and Areva, who opened a joint office in Riyadh six months ago to lay the groundwork for a French nuclear offer.

Montebourg will build on a Nov. 4 visit by French President Francois Hollande to Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah and a 2011 agreement betweenFrance and Saudi Arabia that offered the Saudis atomic know-how and training for local staff….

France plays a strong hand in Saudi Arabia, which has no nuclear capabilities of its own but has deep pockets and wants to acquire the most modern technology…..

Unlike other suppliers, Areva also sells uranium, offering utilities long-term supply contracts…….

he French will face formidable competition from U.S., Japanese and South Korean consortia. Westinghouse-Toshiba has deep ties with the Middle East, and a Korean-led consortium dealt the French a humiliating blow with its surprise win of a $40 billion contract in Abu Dhabi three years ago…….

Hollande’s government, despite having decided to cut the share of nuclear in French electricity generation to 50 percent in 2025 from the current 75 percent, is keen to export reactors….. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/18/france-saudi-nuclear-idUSL6N0ANEA120130118

January 19, 2013 Posted by | France, marketing | Leave a comment

Russia to sell nuclear technology to United Arab Emirates

Russian-BearMoscow to help UAE with region’s largest nuclear energy program
World Tribune  ABU DHABI 30 Dec 12 — Russia and the United Arab
Emirates have signed a
nuclear cooperation agreement. The two countries said they would
cooperate in nuclear energy as part of UAE plans to establish a
network of reactors over the next 20 years…..
Officials said the agreement could make Russia’s Atomic Energy
Cooperation, known as Rosatom, a leading supplier to Abu Dhabi’s
nuclear program.
They said the Kremlin was prepared to provide technology, equipment,
nuclear fuel and expertise to a UAE program estimated at $40 billion
and so far led by South Korea….
http://www.worldtribune.com/2012/12/30/moscow-to-help-uae-with-regions-largest-nuclear-energy-program/

December 31, 2012 Posted by | marketing, Russia, United Arab Emirates | Leave a comment

South Korea keen to sell nukes: must clean up their act

Buy-S-Korea-nukesThere is a lot at stake for South Korea, which aims to export 80 nuclear reactors by 2030, expected to be worth up to $300 billion, according to government plans.

South Korea urged to restore trust in nuclear Australia Network News  Nov 24, 2012  The International Energy Agency (IEA) says South Korea needs to rebuild public trust in nuclear power by boosting transparency and improving regulation, after safety scares have closed reactors and threaten to trigger blackouts over winter. Continue reading →

December 20, 2012 Posted by | marketing, South Korea | Leave a comment

Hitachi, desperate for nuclear sales, will own Britain’s nuclear power enterprise!

Masaharu Hanyu, head of Hitachi’s nuclear division, hinted that the Japanese conglomerate had little choice but to win business abroad.

Hitachi enters Britain’s nuclear sector TOKYO, Oct. 31 (UPI) –– Japan’s Hitachi Ltd. will build up to six new nuclear reactors in the United Kingdom as part of its agreement to acquire Horizon Nuclear Power from German energy companies RWE and
E.ON.

The $1.1 billion deal announced this week propels Hitachi into the “new and uncomfortable” role as the owner of an entire atomic-power enterprise instead of just a contract reactor builder, says a report in the Financial Times.

Domestically, in the wake of the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan aims to phase out nuclear power by 2040. Continue reading →

November 1, 2012 Posted by | Japan, marketing, UK | Leave a comment

Japan’s nuclear companies desperate to sell nukes overseas

Hitachi shifts focus of nuclear business overseas, Asahi Shimbun October 27, 2012 By TOMOYA FUJITA  Hitachi Ltd. is set to acquire Britain’s Horizon Nuclear Power, underscoring the company’s shift of focus to the nuclear plant sector overseas.

The move comes as no surprise as Japan’s other nuclear plant manufacturers are also struggling after last year’s disaster put a potentially permanent halt to domestic construction of new facilities. Continue reading →

October 29, 2012 Posted by | Japan, marketing | Leave a comment

Russia joins the feeding frenzy to sell nukes to UK

Russia eyes stake in UK nuclear plants http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/9594476/Russia-eyes-stake-in-UK-nuclear-plants.html By Emily Gosden  09 Oct 2012 Russia is seeking a stake in the UK’s nuclear new-build programme, in a boost for the Government’s energy plans. Alexey Kalinin, of Russian
state nuclear corporation Rosatom, will today say that it is willing to invest in the UK’s reactor programme. Continue reading →

October 10, 2012 Posted by | marketing, Russia | Leave a comment

China, Japan, USA, France, Russia all keen to market nuclear reactors to UK

Two consortiums interested in reactors  http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/19dd4f1e-d425-11e1-942c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz21Vo4ZRkh By Rebecca Bream, Anousha Sakoui and Jim Pickard  London July 22, 2012 The management of Horizon, the energy group, and government officials are to start detailed talks with potential investors, including Chinese state-owned power groups, about building nuclear reactors in Anglesey and Gloucestershire.


At least two consortiums have told the government and Horizon, which is being sold by German energy groups Eon and RWE, that they are interested in bidding for the venture, which plans to build new reactors near the sites of existing nuclear plants at Wylfa, Anglesey,
and Oldbury, Gloucestershire.

The first is led by Toshiba Westinghouse, the Japanese-owned nuclear reactor manufacturer, in partnership with State Nuclear Power Technology Corp of China and Exelon, the US power generator.
The second comprises Areva, the French state-controlled reactor manufacturer, and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corp, possibly in partnership with other energy groups and investors. Continue reading →

July 23, 2012 Posted by | marketing, UK | Leave a comment

Russia ahead in the race to sell off nuclear technology to South Africa

Russian nuclear group opens office in South Africa Engineering News, By: Keith Campbell 18th July 2012 South Africa has become only the third country to host a marketing office of Russia’s State-owned nuclear energy group Rosatom. The registration of the office was announced by the group on Wednesday….. Rusatom (spelt with a u) Overseas is a subsidiary of Rosatom (spelt with an o).

 

Another Rosatom subsidiary, Tenex, already supplies enriched uranium products for the production of nuclear fuel for South Africa. The country currently has one two-reactor NPP, at Koeberg near Cape Town, which has a capacity of 1 800 MWe. This started operation in 1984… http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/russian-nuclear-group-opens-office-in-south-africa-2012-07-18

July 19, 2012 Posted by | marketing, South Africa | Leave a comment

“Community owned nuclear power stations” suggested to solve problem of public distrust

Perhaps the government simply accepts no-one will ever trust it on nuclear power. 

How not to solve nuclear power’s trust problem  http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/damian-carrington-blog/2012/jul/09/nuclear-power-energy-secrecy?newsfeed=true    Continued secrecy, shown in stupidly brief minutes of official meetings, and entrenched attitudes lead to daft ideas like community-owned reactors The public does not trust the government to be objective on nuclear power, a committee of MPs conclude today .

This is hardly surprising, as the MPs note: “The government’s position as an advocate for nuclear power makes it difficult for the public to trust it as an impartial source of information . Continue reading →

July 10, 2012 Posted by | marketing, UK | 3 Comments

Poland delays nuclear power project – stuck on lack of finance

American-Japanese group GE Hitachi , France’s Areva and Westinghouse, a U.S unit of Japan’s Toshiba , have all signalled interest in supplying technology for the project that has already faced a number of bureacratic delays.

Poland’s PGE delays nuclear tender PGE will not launch tender as planned in Q2  Still working on financing model for project. Investment estimated to be worth $8.79-14.65 bln WARSAW, June 27 (Reuters) – PGE has delayed launching the technology supplier tender for Poland’s first nuclear power plant as it works out how it will finance the multi-billion dollar project, PGE’s chief executive said on Wednesday.

PGE chief Krzysztof Kilian did not say when the tender, previously scheduled for the second quarter of 2012, would move forward. The cost to build the first reactors is estimated at 30 billion to 50 billion zlotys ($8.79-14.65 billion). We will not launch the tender in June (as previously planned),……. Continue reading →

June 28, 2012 Posted by | EUROPE, marketing, politics | Leave a comment

Middle East joins the throng marketing nuclear reactors to Britain

Wylfa: Chinese, US and Mid East investors ‘may bid for Horizon Nuclear Power’   BBC News North West Wales, 6 May 12 Investors from Chinese, America and Middle East are the latest said to be interested in a bid to build a new nuclear reactor on Anglesey.

Last month Russian state-owned Rosatom was reported to be interested in buying Horizon Nuclear Power to build a replacement for ageing Wylfa reactors.

German owners E.ON and RWE npower have shelved the £8bn plan.

News agency Reuters has quoted industry sources saying the other investors are also interested in Horizon…  “There are five groups interested overall,” said the source , who Reuters said had direct knowledge of the deals but who asked not to be identified…. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-17977739

May 7, 2012 Posted by | marketing, UK | Leave a comment

Nuclear education for North Dakota

Senate hopeful Sand spearheading nuclear energy education effort Fargo, ND (WDAY TV) 16 Feb 12,  – A Candidate for U.S Senate is spear-heading an effort to educate North Dakotans on nuclear power. Republican Duane Sand is organizing a nuclear power symposium, to educate people about its benefits.

Sand hopes the public, local government officials, and nuclear power companies will attend. He eventually wants to bring a nuclear power plant to the state,… http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/59214/

February 16, 2012 Posted by | marketing, USA | Leave a comment

USA’s Energy Secretary Chu’s trip to promote nuclear power to Georgia

OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Chu to tout nuclear in Georgia  The Hill, By Andrew Restuccia and Ben Geman – 02/14/12   State of play: Energy Secretary Steven Chu will tout the Obama administration’s support for nuclear energy Wednesday at a Georgia power plant whose owner recently won approval to build the first new U.S. reactors in more than 30 years.

Chu will tour the Vogtle nuclear power plant near Waynesboro, Ga., and “highlight steps the Obama Administration is taking to restart America’s nuclear energy industry,” according to the Energy Department…… Chu will meet with Southern Co. President Thomas Fanning and Georgia Power President W. Paul Bowers. Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Co., owns the Vogtle plant….

Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.)has called on President Obama to hold off on finalizing the loan guarantee until the Energy Department makes improvements to its loan program, recommended in a White House-mandated report released last week…… http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/210651-overnight-energy

February 15, 2012 Posted by | marketing, USA | Leave a comment

India borrowing from France, to buy France’s nuclear reactors

Interesting to watch the developments in India, as the people’s  Koodankulam anti nuclear protest continues. The Russian engineers have now left the site, as work cannot proceed, due to the public opposition.

The Indian nuclear corporation cannot afford its planned new nuclear plants at Jaitapur and Koodankulam, which they are buying from France and Russia respectively.  But hey! – that’s no problem, because they are going to borrow the money from France and Russia.   Seems like the Indian government is working on behalf of foreign companies, not the Indian people.    Nuclear Power Corp Looks Overseas for Loans     .http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204257504577149981322117366.html

The Indian government is also learning from France’s nuclear company, AREVA, on how to manipulate public opinion. With jolly jingles and other cheery messages, they hope to convince the community that nuclear power is just fine. At left above, a  sample of AREVA’s message to children, in its Australian brochure. – Christina Macpherson

NPCIL launches campaign to clear KNPP concerns,Zee News, January 09, 2012,  Chennai: Amid the standoff over the controversial Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited has launched an intense media campaign to allay safety fears of the people in and around the project site.

“NPCIL has produced 60-second long advertisements to be telecast on TV channels. These will carry messages on cancer and on some issues raised by fishermen,” an official said here today.

In the advertisements, renowned oncologist Dr V Shanta of Cancer Institute, Chennai, marine life experts Murugesan and Sugumaran will clear doubts that locals and fishermen might have (about nuclear
power), they said. The campaign would be telecast on Tamil TV channels, apparently targeting the local population who have been up in arms against the Indo-Russian collaborative project since September last.

NPCIL officials had already aired 60-second long jingles on private radio channels in Tirunelveli district. The commissioning of the plant, earlier slated in December 2011, has been delayed after protests by locals on grounds of safety.
http://zeenews.india.com/news/tamil-nadu/npcil-launches-campaign-to-clear-knpp-concerns_751574.html

January 10, 2012 Posted by | India, marketing | Leave a comment

Turkish govt asks Russian nuclear firm to ‘educate’ Turkey’s anti nuclear residents

Turkey surprises Russian nuclear firm with new conditions, Today’s Zaman,  ERCAN BAYSAL , ANKARA, 26 Dec 11 Russian firm Atomstroy export received two additional conditions from the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Forestry on their contract for Turkey’s first nuclear power plant in Akkuyu, on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.
The ministry announced the additional conditions to the Russian firm in its response to Atomstroyexport’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) report. One of the additional conditions placed by the ministry asks the firm to persuade the residents of Akkuyu and be sensible to their objections regarding the nuclear plant. Continue reading →

December 26, 2011 Posted by | marketing, Turkey | Leave a comment

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