WNN weekly digest

22 May 2009

WNN Weekly Digest
Significant nuclear-related news items in perspective

BHP Billiton seeks environmental approval for new mine.   

After announcing in November that was reactivating the Yeelirrie uranium project in Western Australia, BHP Billiton has applied to the federal government to commence the process of environmental approval.  Yeelirrie is about 420 km north of Kalgoorlie and close to the Goldfields gas pipeline.  It was discovered in 1972 and extends over 9 km x 1.5 km, is up to 7 metres thick and has an average depth of about 7 metres of overburden.  Old published figures show some 52,000 tonnes of uranium oxide at 0.15% average grade, and considerable metallurgical work was done before a new federal Labor government killed the project in 1983.  The mine could possibly open in 2014, and production of 5000 t/yr U3O8 over 30 years is suggested, which would likely have 2000 t/yr vanadium oxide as by-product.   

Australian 22/5/09.

US economic report updated.  

An update of the 2003 MIT study on the economics of nuclear power has been published, with a primary focus on the USA.  The report said that "since 2003 construction costs for all types of large-scale engineered projects have escalated dramatically. The estimated cost of constructing a nuclear power plant has increased at a rate of 15% per year heading into the current economic downturn. This is based both on the cost of actual builds in Japan and Korea and on the projected cost of new plants planned for in the United States.  Capital costs for both coal and natural gas have increased as well, although not by as much. The cost of natural gas and coal that peaked sharply is now receding. Taken together, these escalating costs leave the situation [of relative costs] close to where it was in 2003."  The overnight capital cost was given as $4000/kW, in 2007 dollars.  Applying the same cost of capital to nuclear as to coal and gas, nuclear came out at 6.6 c/kWh, coal at 8.3 cents and gas at 7.4 cents, assuming a charge of $25/tonne CO2 on the latter.   

WNN 21/5/09.

US President approves UAE nuclear cooperation.   

President Obama has approved an agreement on civil nuclear cooperation with the United Arab Emirates.  It was originally signed in the closing days of the Bush presidency, and now needs to be approved by Congress in 90 days.  The agreement is important because the UAE is seen as a leader in Middle East nuclear power development and expects to have three large power rectors operating by 2020, while the USA has a key role in world nuclear trade.  Under special terms in this Agreement, the UAE has renounced plans to enrich and reprocess uranium or other fuel, instead pledging to obtain nuclear fuel from reliable international suppliers. The USA will have the right to cancel the agreement if the UAE reneges on its commitment not to engage in enrichment or reprocessing activities.  The UAE already has several other high-level nuclear cooperation agreements in place.    

WNN 21/5/09.

Nuclear power back on UN climate change agenda.  

The first drafts of texts to be the basis of negotiations on a future United Nations climate change agreement in Copenhagen in December have brought back the issue of nuclear energy into the discussions.  A key element for the new agreement to supercede the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol will be the future of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI), which both give emissions credits to projects which help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Under rules agreed in 2001, nuclear projects cannot be counted towards credits.  The draft text suggests that nuclear projects being granted full eligibility as CDM and JI projects is the best of four possibilities.   

WNN 21/5/09.

Information papers updated (see WNA web site http://www.world-nuclear.org):       

Economics of Nuclear Power                 

Heavy manufacturing

Country etc:  Africa, China, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Russia, Taiwan

World Nuclear News,  www.world-nuclear-news.org - UK             ISSN 1326-4907

22 May 2009

WNN Weekly Digest

Significant nuclear-related news items in perspective

BHP Billiton seeks environmental approval for new mine.

After announcing in November that was reactivating the Yeelirrie 
uranium project in Western Australia, BHP Billiton has applied to the 
federal government to commence the process of environmental approval.  
Yeelirrie is about 420 km north of Kalgoorlie and close to the 
Goldfields gas pipeline.  It was discovered in 1972 and extends over 9 
km x 1.5 km, is up to 7 metres thick and has an average depth of about 
7 metres of overburden.  Old published figures show some 52,000 tonnes 
of uranium oxide at 0.15% average grade, and considerable 
metallurgical work was done before a new federal Labor government 
killed the project in 1983.  The mine could possibly open in 2014, and 
production of 5000 t/yr U3O8 over 30 years is suggested, which would 
likely have 2000 t/yr vanadium oxide as by-product.

Australian 22/5/09.

US economic report updated.

An update of the 2003 MIT study on the economics of nuclear power has 
been published, with a primary focus on the USA.  The report said that 
"since 2003 construction costs for all types of large-scale engineered 
projects have escalated dramatically. The estimated cost of 
constructing a nuclear power plant has increased at a rate of 15% per 
year heading into the current economic downturn. This is based both on 
the cost of actual builds in Japan and Korea and on the projected cost 
of new plants planned for in the United States.  Capital costs for 
both coal and natural gas have increased as well, although not by as 
much. The cost of natural gas and coal that peaked sharply is now 
receding. Taken together, these escalating costs leave the situation 
[of relative costs] close to where it was in 2003."  The overnight 
capital cost was given as $4000/kW, in 2007 dollars.  Applying the 
same cost of capital to nuclear as to coal and gas, nuclear came out 
at 6.6 c/kWh, coal at 8.3 cents and gas at 7.4 cents, assuming a 
charge of $25/tonne CO2 on the latter.

WNN 21/5/09.

US President approves UAE nuclear cooperation.

President Obama has approved an agreement on civil nuclear cooperation 
with the United Arab Emirates.  It was originally signed in the 
closing days of the Bush presidency, and now needs to be approved by 
Congress in 90 days.  The agreement is important because the UAE is 
seen as a leader in Middle East nuclear power development and expects 
to have three large power rectors operating by 2020, while the USA has 
a key role in world nuclear trade.  Under special terms in this 
Agreement, the UAE has renounced plans to enrich and reprocess uranium 
or other fuel, instead pledging to obtain nuclear fuel from reliable 
international suppliers. The USA will have the right to cancel the 
agreement if the UAE reneges on its commitment not to engage in 
enrichment or reprocessing activities.  The UAE already has several 
other high-level nuclear cooperation agreements in place.

WNN 21/5/09.

Nuclear power back on UN climate change agenda.

The first drafts of texts to be the basis of negotiations on a future 
United Nations climate change agreement in Copenhagen in December have 
brought back the issue of nuclear energy into the discussions.  A key 
element for the new agreement to supercede the first phase of the 
Kyoto Protocol will be the future of the Clean Development Mechanism 
(CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI), which both give emissions credits 
to projects which help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Under rules 
agreed in 2001, nuclear projects cannot be counted towards credits.  
The draft text suggests that nuclear projects being granted full 
eligibility as CDM and JI projects is the best of four possibilities.

WNN 21/5/09.

ends