26 Nov (NucNet): The Areva group said yesterday it is shelving its Midwest mine project in Canada�s Saskatchewan province.

Areva, which has a stake of more than 69 per cent in the consortium behind the project, said that after re-examining the profitability of exploiting the mine, it had decided with its partners (Canada�s Denison Mines 25.17 per cent and Japanese consortium OURD 5.67 per cent) to postpone the project �in light of current market conditions�.

�The decision not to go ahead with work at Midwest, initially scheduled for 2010, is a strategic choice that Areva and its partners have made due to the recent drop in the price of uranium as well as the major increase in operating costs in the region due to the regulatory calendar. If it were launched today, the project�s profitability would be uncertain,� Areva said.

In a separate statement yesterday, Denison said the status of the project will be reviewed every six months. Denison said the partners would complete the project�s environmental assessment and complete engineering for Midwest so the mine can be developed quickly when economic conditions improve.

Denison also announced the temporary closure of its Tony M mine in the US state of Utah citing current economic conditions �including the uranium market�. The mine will be put on �care and maintenance� and would be ready to resume operations quickly when uranium prices improve or the company obtains �favourable uranium contracts� for Tony M production.


>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)

Cogema And Denison Increase Shares In Midwest Uranium Project (Briefs No. 3, 12 January 2005)

Source: NucNet

Editor: editors@worldnuclear.org

26 Nov (NucNet): Westinghouse Electric said today it had formed a new UK-based company to pursue commercial nuclear power business in the country.

Westinghouse Electric Company UK, an organisation based in Preston, will be chaired by David Bonser. Mike Tynan will serve as vice-president UK Growth Team and as the chief executive officer of Westinghouse UK.

Mr Bonser is a former executive board director of the UK�s BNFL and is currently chairman of the UK�s National Skills Academy for Nuclear and president of the European Nuclear Society. Mr Tynan was most recently managing director of Springfield Fuels Ltd for Westinghouse and is a director of the National Skills Academy for Nuclear.

Westinghouse Electric�s president and chief executive officer Aris Candris said forming the new UK company was reflective of �both the importance and imminence� of the UK�s nuclear power market.

Mr Bonser said: "Westinghouse believes that a fleet of our AP1000 reactors deployed in the United Kingdom could contribute as much as 30 billion pounds (35 billion euro; 46 billion US dollars) to the UK economy.
About half of this value would arise during construction of the fleet of plants, with the rest being delivered over the full 60-80 year period of operation."

� by John Shepherd

>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)

Westinghouse Signs �Pioneering� UK Nuclear Build Supply Chain Agreements (World Nuclear Review No. 34, 5 September 2008)

New Nuclear Could Give UK Economy �GBP 30 Billion Boost� (News in Brief No. 111, 22 September 2008)

Source: NucNet

Editor: editors@worldnuclear.org

26 Nov (NucNet): A combined operating licence (COL) application for a potential new reactor unit at the site of the Enrico Fermi-2 nuclear plant in the US has been formally accepted for review, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said yesterday.

The COL application was submitted to the NRC by Detroit Edison in September 2008. The application is the twelfth COL the NRC has accepted for review.

Detroit Edison says the proposed new unit, in the state of Michigan, will be based on GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy�s Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) design.

The NRC is currently reviewing the ESBWR design for possible certification.

>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)

US Detroit Edison Prepares For Possible New-Build (News in Brief No. 3, 20 February 2007)

Detroit Edison Submits COL Application For Proposed Michigan ESBWR (World Nuclear Review No. 36, 19 September 2008)

Source: NucNet

Editor: editors@worldnuclear.org

26 Nov (NucNet): Siemens Energy is to upgrade the turbine generator units at two nuclear power plants in the US state of Florida.

Siemens said yesterday that it had been awarded combined orders for equipment and certain field installation services worth about 250 million US dollars (USD) (193 million euro) for the upgrades at the St Lucie and Turkey Point nuclear plants from the Florida Power & Light Company, a subsidiary of the FPL Group.

The orders follow one made in June 2008 for Siemens to upgrade FPL Energy�s Point Beach nuclear units in the state of Wisconsin.

St Lucie and Turkey Point each have two pressurised water reactors. Following the upgrades, the electric generating capacity of each of the four units is expected to increase by about 100 megawatts electric.

FPL said last year that �subject to a number of factors�, including regulatory approvals, the added capacity is expected to be in place by the end of 2012.


>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)

FPL Seeks Approval For Uprates (News in Brief No. 27, 19 September 2007)

Florida Commission Gives Go-Ahead For Proposed Turkey Point Units (News in Brief No. 32, 19 March 2008)

Source: NucNet

Editor: editors@worldnuclear.org

26 Nov (NucNet): Japan is dealing with requests from several countries including the United Arab Emirates and Jordan for help in launching nuclear power programmes, nuclear industry representatives have been told.

The director of the Nuclear Energy Policy Planning Division in Japan�s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE), Taizo Takahashi, said �detailed talks� had begun with some countries, the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF) reported today.

Mr Takahashi was addressing a meeting of JAIF�s coordinating council in Tokyo on 14 November 2008. He said Japan�s government would support domestic nuclear manufacturers seeking increased business opportunities overseas, although he said no export contracts had been signed to date by Japanese companies as primary suppliers.

A sub-committee of ANRE met for the first time earlier this month to discuss international cooperation and support for overseas activities by the country�s nuclear energy-related industries.

� by John Shepherd


>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)

Nuclear �At Forefront Of Japan Energy Policy� As New Ministers Appointed (News in Brief No. 89, 12 August 2008)

Committee Discusses �More Competitive� N-Power Industry In Japan (World Nuclear Review No. 44, 14 November 2008)

The NucNet database currently contains around 12,000 reports published since 1991. To subscribe or ask for any further information email info@worldnuclear.org

Source: NucNet

Editor: editors@worldnuclear.org