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New laser uranium enrichment technology fraught with problems

Regulatory agencies are worried that laser enrichment of uranium could lead to the proliferation of nuclear weapons….GE and Hitachi “are betting that there will be an upsurge of nuclear power plant construction—that’s a huge and extremely risky bet.”….laser enrichment has been held back by substantial technical hurdles.

Laser Uranium Enrichment Makes a Comeback The controversial technology poses proliferation risks, but nuclear firms press on, IEEE Spectrum: By Sandra Upson  1 October 2010 Two technology giants, GE and Hitachi, are betting big on a nuclear renaissance. Continue reading

October 1, 2010 Posted by | technology, Uranium, USA | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Iran’s uranium enrichment plant the likely target of Stuxnet worm

the worm that has infected Iranian nuclear computers was meant to sabotage the uranium enrichment facility at Natanz –

‘Computer virus in Iran actually targeted larger nuclear facility’ Haaretz Daily Newspaper By Yossi Melman, 28 Sept 10, New analysis, based on the characteristic behavior of the Stuxnet worm, contradicts earlier assessments that the target was the nuclear reactor at Bushehr. Continue reading

September 28, 2010 Posted by | Iran, secrets,lies and civil liberties, Uranium | , , , , | Leave a comment

AREVA’s chief heads to Niger as uranium mines security deteriorates

The warning said the security situation in the Arlit region — where Areva runs uranium mines and where the five French nationals, a Togolese and a Madagascan were kidnapped by Al-Qaeda linked militants — was deteriorating.

Hostage crisis: French nuclear boss heads to Niger, Google hosted news, (AFP) – 28 Sept 10, PARIS — The chairwoman of French state-owned nuclear giant Areva is to visit the firm’s operation in Niger, the company said Monday, after Al-Qaeda militants kidnapped several of her employees there.”Anne Lauvergeon plans to visit Niger soon,” a spokesman said, declining to confirm a report that she would travel on Thursday. The purpose of her visit is to visit Areva employees in the region, the spokesman said. Continue reading

September 28, 2010 Posted by | Niger, safety, Uranium | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

German Chancellor Merkel’s nuclear policy likely to be derailed

the German federal government’s own Advisory Council on the Environment  stated that “By 2050, Germany’s energy needs can be supplied 100% through electricity derived from renewable energy sources,” however, “the federal government must set the course for the conversion of the energy system now.”

Germany’s Burgeoning Anti-Nuclear Movement Promises to Derail Merkel’s Energy Policy, THE HUFFUNGTON POST, Tina Gerhardt, 28 Sept 10, Merkel’s decision has reignited Germany’s anti-nuclear movement. A poll conducted last week by ZDF television found sixty-one percent of Germans oppose the plan of Merkel’s center-right coalition of Christian Democrats (CDU) and Free Democrats (FDP). Continue reading

September 28, 2010 Posted by | Germany, politics, Uranium | , , , | Leave a comment

A solar company investing in nuclear?

The Property consists of two contiguous mineral dispositions, covering an area of ~2000 hectares, in the western Athabasca Basin, 8.3km west of the Cluff Lake Mine and 12.7km northwest of AREVA/UEX’s Shea Creek Project…..The Athabasca Basin is the most productive uranium producing region in the world, producing approximately 1/3 of the world uranium each year.

Solar Energy Options Major Uranium Prospect in the Athabasca Basin – MarketWatch Sept. 27, 2010,   (BUSINESS WIRE) — Solar Energy Limited   is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with an arms’-length vendor by which the Company can earn a 100% interest in the West Carswell Property (the “Property”). Continue reading

September 28, 2010 Posted by | Canada, secrets,lies and civil liberties, Uranium | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Terrorist danger to France’s uranium mines in Niger

Earlier this year, the US warned that al Qaeda’s interest in nuclear weapons was still strong and said the risk of nuclear terrorism was serious.

France sees second attack on energy workers in West Africa,  Oil & Gas Journal, Sep 27, 2010 By Eric Watkins,“……………The attack on the Bourbon Alexandre came just 6 days after members of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization captured five French nationals in Niger’s uranium fields. Continue reading

September 28, 2010 Posted by | Niger, politics international, Uranium | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Yellow Dirt: An American Story of a Poisoned Land and a People Betrayed

Uranium author visits Shiprock, Farmington Daily Times, By Alysa Landry The Daily Times 09/25/2010 SHIPROCK — The book begins much the same as did the betrayal of the Navajo people during the boom of Cold War-era uranium mining — with Anglo men creeping onto its pages like poison.The book is “Yellow Dirt: An American Story of a Poisoned Land and a People Betrayed.“Its author is Judy Pasternak, a former investigative reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Its story, based on two years of research, unfolds with a clarity spared from the Navajo miners who were never told that the “yellow dirt” they mined would be a devastating character in the tale of the Diné people…….

Uranium author visits Shiprock – Farmington Daily Times

September 27, 2010 Posted by | general, Uranium | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Niger getting too dangerous for foreign nuclear companies

Western firms “that steal our wealth and take advantage of our people should know that they are legitimate targets for the mujaheddin and they should leave promptly because our land is not a field for plunder and our wealth is not something to be taken advantage of.”

NIAMEY, Niger, Sept. 24 (UPI) — Suddenly, the uranium mining industry is becoming a risky business, it seems.Islamic militants who kidnapped seven people at a French-owned uranium mine in Niger Sept. 16 have warned Western firms that “steal our wealth … to leave promptly.”… Continue reading

September 25, 2010 Posted by | Niger, politics international, Uranium | , , , , , | Leave a comment

AREVA in trouble in Niger: Paladin uranium gets out

Paladin Energy Ltd: Defeating Conditions Triggered Regarding Bid for NGM Resources Ltd – MarketWatch, 25 Sept 10, ”       On September 16, 2010, forces associated with al-Qaida in the Magreb (North Africa) (AQIM) entered the town of Arlit in Niger’s uranium mining region and abducted seven people, employed by the French uranium company Areva and its construction contractor, Vinci. Continue reading

September 25, 2010 Posted by | Niger, safety, Uranium | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Low uranium price stops building of new plant

R3.5bn uranium project hit by price slump., Brendan Ryan , 22 Sep 2010 [miningmx.com] — CONSTRUCTION of the proposed R3.5bn Rand Uranium plant to be built near Randfontein could be delayed because of current low uranium prices
That’s according to Harmony CEO, Graham Briggs, who was replying to a question posed after his presentation to the Denver Gold Forum being held in Denver, Colorado. Harmony holds a 40% stake in the unlisted Rand Uranium into which it injected assets formerly belonging to the Cooke and Randfontein sections of the Randfontein mine including the high uranium grade Cooke tailings dump. Uranium prices have been depressed for the past 18 months….

September 24, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, South Africa, Uranium | , , , | Leave a comment

AREVA’s nuclear workers kidnapped by al-Qaida in Niger

Six of the seven hostages worked at a huge uranium mine in northern Niger run by French state-owned nuclear power giant Areva. The seventh was married to an Areva employee…….

France’s Sarkozy calls Niger kidnappings worrying By JENNY BARCHFIELD (AP) – 23 Sept 10, PARIS — French President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed on Wednesday to mobilize his government to free five French people abducted last week by an al-Qaida affiliate in Niger, calling it a “very serious and worrying affair,” Continue reading

September 23, 2010 Posted by | Niger, safety, Uranium | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Uranium market’s doubtful long term future

..“There are a lot of projects on the drawing board that will have trouble getting into production or will be delayed”…The “long-term” price “is really the more important indicator when it comes to supporting new project development, rather than the spot price,”

Uranium Miners Need 25% Price Advance for Expansion Incentive, Rio Says,  Bloomberg, By Anna Stablum – Sep 23, 2010 Uranium must rise 25 percent to give mining companies an incentive to start or expand projects outside of top producer Kazakhstan, said Clark Beyer, managing director of Rio Tinto Uranium Ltd….. Continue reading

September 23, 2010 Posted by | 2 WORLD, business and costs, Uranium | , , , | Leave a comment

Lawsuit about uranium mill’s contamination of water

The creek contains uranium levels as high as 310 parts per billion, which is more than 10 times the 30 ppb health standard for drinking water.

Group Sues Over Cotter Corp. Uranium Mill Cleanup – cbs4denver.com, Sep 22, 2010 U.S. MountainGroup Sues Over Cotter Corp. Uranium Mill Cleanup DENVER (AP) ― A citizens group has filed a lawsuit accusing Colorado regulators of failing to require Cotter Corp. to set aside enough money to clean up its uranium mill in Canon City. Continue reading

September 23, 2010 Posted by | Legal, Uranium, USA | , , , , , | Leave a comment

India’s tragic uranium mining effects on communities

Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD), an affiliate of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize recipient International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, conducted a health survey in 2007 that looked at 2,118 families within 2.5 km of the mines.It found that 9.5 percent of newborns die each year due to extreme physical deformities…….

Uranium mines afecting health of workers and local communities, India Info Online, 20 Sept 10, AT BANDUHURANG, there are no prohibitory signs, no warnings about radiation, no barbed wire and no demarcation of territory. Continue reading

September 21, 2010 Posted by | environment, India, Uranium | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cover-up of uranium news in India

As we shuttled between the police station and the district court in Jamshedpur for a week to get our equipment back, we got a glimpse into the kind of helplessness local villagers experience throughout their lives. If a journalist working for a national newsmagazine could be arrested and booked for visiting villages that have an overview of the mine, who would listen to the villagers?

Uranium mines afecting health of workers and local communities, India Info Online, 20 Sept 10, “…….UCIL seems to believe that national interest overrides the baggage of liabilities the pursuit of nuclear ambitions carries. Is it in our national interest to stand by silently as this scenario plays out in other uranium mines in the next year? Continue reading

September 21, 2010 Posted by | India, secrets,lies and civil liberties, Uranium | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment