Archive for August, 2010

Cameco’s sales prospects and share price down

August 15, 2010

Weaker spot market demand also put a damper on the firm’s expectations……..Cameco shares were down 51 cents or just under two per cent at $25.51 at midday Friday on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Cameco trims sales outlook as second-quarter earnings drop 72 per cent, – Winnipeg Free Press. By: The Canadian Press : 13/08/2010 SASKATOON – Cameco Corp. said Friday it is trimming its 2010 sales outlook as the major uranium producer reported a 72 per cent slide in second-quarter earnings. (more…)

Smuggling of Highly Enriched Uranium

August 15, 2010

The Georgian ministry of interior has foiled eight attempts of illicit trafficking of enriched uranium during the last ten years, including several cases of weapons-grade enrichment.”

Nuclear Smuggling in the Former Soviet Union, THE HUFFINGTON POST, Rizwan Ladha , 4 Aug 2010, “……..In 2006, a North Ossetian man named Oleg Khintsagov (sometimes spelled Khinsagov) was arrested for selling 100 grams of highly enriched uranium (HEU) to an undercover Georgian official. He was sentenced to 7 years in prison. An excellent detailed report of the entire episode (in PDF format) is available from the Belfer Center here, and is covered briefly in the new feature film,  Countdown to Zero. (more…)

Conservations sue to stop uranium exploration

August 15, 2010

Conservation groups sue to block uranium exploration | The Salt Lake Tribune, 31 July 2010, A trio of Moab conservation groups has filed suit challenging a decision by the U.S. Forest Service to allow uranium exploration in the Manti-La Sal National Forest.The organizations — Uranium Watch, Center for Water Advocacy and Living Rivers — say the Forest Service gave Denison Mines Corp. permission to drill 16 exploration holes and two radon vent holes as part of an expansion of the Pandora Uranium Mine without doing a full environmental analysis.Their suit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City, seeks to overturn the decision to allow the drilling.The U.S. Attorney’s Office had no comment on the lawsuit.Pamela Manson Conservation groups sue to block uranium exploration | The Salt Lake Tribune

The modern Trojan horse – depleted uranium

August 15, 2010

VIDEO

US and UK Forces Used Depleted Uranium (WMD) During The Iraq War! « Socio-Economics History Blog UK confirms using depleted uranium

US and UK Forces Used Depleted Uranium (WMD) During The Iraq War! « Socio-Economics History Blog, 30 July 2010 -,  “……….Depleted uranium (DU) weaponry meets the definition of weapon of mass destruction in two out of three categories under U.S. Federal Code Title 50 Chapter 40 Section 2302. DU weaponry violates all international treaties and agreements, Hague and Geneva war conventions, the 1925 Geneva gas protocol, U.S. laws and U.S. military law. (more…)

Highly Enriched Uranium – processing getting more expensive

August 15, 2010

The range was significantly higher than the informal federal estimate of $1.4 billion to $3.5 billion for constructing the planned Uranium Processing Facility...

Senator Says Uranium Plant Could Cost Billions More Than Planned NTI: Global Security Newswire, July 27, 2010 U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) yesterday suggested the expense of building a highly enriched uranium processing center at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee might ultimately amount to between $4 billion and $5 billion, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported. (see GSN, Oct. 29, 2009).

The range was significantly higher than the informal federal estimate of $1.4 billion to $3.5 billion for constructing the planned Uranium Processing Facility……In a July 6 letter to Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman, acting Government Accountability Office head Gene Dodaro said his agency believed the plant’s cost might reach or surpass the $3.5 billion threshold, the Nuclear Weapons and Materials Monitor reported (Frank Munger, Knoxville News Sentinel II, July 26)………

Increasing costs of uranium processing

August 15, 2010

there are still “significant” issues hindering DOE from bringing projects to completion on time and within budget.

More questions about cost of UPF, Frank Munger’s Atomic City Underground | knoxnews.com, 26 July 2010, Todd Jacobson of Nuclear Weapons & Materials Monitor is reporting that the Government Accountability Office is raising concerns that the cost of the Uranium Processing Facility at Y-12 may reach or even exceed the top end of current estimates ($1.4 billion to $3.5 billion). Jacobson cited a July 6 letter from acting GAO chief Gene Dodaro to Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman.
The letter was part of the continuing conversation between the federal agencies as the NNSA tries to gain more credibility for its project management and get off the GAO’s high-risk list for contracting cost escalations. The GAO chief reportedly said there are still “significant” issues hindering DOE from bringing projects to completion on time and within budget.

More questions about cost of UPF | Frank Munger’s Atomic City Underground | knoxnews.com

Health danger of depleted uranium has been seriously underestimated

August 15, 2010

There is increasing worldwide support for a Depleted Uranium  ban….There is a growing consensus among civil society groups, scientists and
some military organisations
that the health risks from DU have been seriously underestimated.

Latest documents advocating the ban of depleted uranium. By Jerry Mazza, Online Journal, 23 July 2010, US Armed Forces Radiobiology Institute Between 2000 and 2003, Dr Alexandra Miller of AFFRI was at the forefront of US Government sponsored research into DU�s chemical toxicity and radioactivity. Through a series of peer-reviewed papers, Dr Miller and her colleagues demonstrated for the first time that internalised DU oxides could result in �a significant enhancement of urinary mutagenicity,� that they can transform human cells into cells capable of producing cancerous tumours, (more…)

Uranium supply continues to exceed demand

August 15, 2010

“Despite the low spot and term prices, uranium producers have shown almost no discipline by reducing current or planned output,”…Despite falling uranium prices, worldwide spending on exploration and mine development grew 133 per cent to $1.6-billion in 2008 from 2006, a

Rising uranium demand still can’t outpace supply, Brenda Bouw. CTV News , 22 July 2010, Uranium was all the rage during the last mining boom, when supply shortages spurred investors to drive up the price to record highs.Instead, in a repeat of a uranium runup in the late 1970s, the hype proved overblown, sending prices down sharply and leaving a glut of the silvery element on the market. (more…)

Continued decline predicted for uranium price

August 15, 2010

“the potential for further price declines.”….

Uranium Prices Have `Limited Upside’ With Market in Surplus, CRU Forecasts, Bloomberg, By Anna Stablum – Jul 21, 2010 Uranium supplies will exceed demand through 2012 and there is “limited upside” to prices for at least six months, London-based research company CRU said. (more…)

Lack of assessment of security of uranium enrichment processes

August 15, 2010

a systemic flaw at the NRC: The commission does not conduct broad assessments of the proliferation concerns associated with licensing projects…….

Nuclear Licensing Process Raises Proliferation Concerns « The Washington Independent, NRC Not Required to Assess Proliferation Risks When Approving New Technology, By Andrew Restuccia 7/21/10 This Thursday in Wilmington, N.C., officials from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the government agency responsible for overseeing the country’s nuclear energy activities, are slated to present a report laying out the environmental impacts of a proposed uranium enrichment facility, a key step in approving the facility’s license. (more…)


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