Husab operations halted due to safety concerns

MINING operations at Swakop Uranium’s Husab mine in Erongo were stopped on Tuesday after workers aired concerns over their safety in light of claims that unchecked explosives and detonators were discovered on the site. Sources on the mine told The Namibian that about 500 workers in the mining department stopped working yesterday already and will not return …

Namibia’s uranium production predicted to rise by 50 percent: Fitch Forecast

Uranium production in Namibia is forecast to rise by 50 percent year-on-year in 2019, more than double the rate of expansion from last year’s 20 percent level, a research firm said. Fitch Solutions Macro Research in the Africa Monitor report for southern Africa released Wednesday, said depressed uranium prices due to overcapacity led to a …

Ontario system operator notes substantial role of nuclear

Nuclear power plants produced 61% of Ontario’s electricity in 2018 and remain a “substantial form of generation” while supporting system reliability, according to newly released data from the Canadian province’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO). Total electricity demand for the year was 137.4 TWh, which was in line with 2015 and 2016 figures but slightly …

Glowing results for nuclear power at France’s EDF

A rebound in nuclear and hydroelectric production helped French power company EDF push operating profits higher last year, it said Friday while remaining cautious about the outlook for 2019. Operating profit climbed by 11 percent to 15.3 billion euros ($17.2 billion), slightly higher than the consensus of analyst forecasts compiled by data firm FactSet. Net …

Kazakhstan to remain uranium mining leader, says Energy Minister

Kazakhstan will remain the world’s leader in uranium mining despite the complicated situation in the global market, said Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan Kanat Bozumbayev, Kazinform correspondent reports. “Despite the difficulties in the global uranium market, we intend to maintain leadership in uranium mining. Now there is an oversupply of uranium and this trend continues,” …

Kazakhstan’s uranium exports reach $700M

Kazakhstan exported 14,200 tons of uranium in January-September 2018, which in money amounted to $699.1 million, Trend reports referring to EnergyProm.kz. Thus, uranium exports in physical terms decreased by 18.8 percent, and in money by 17 percent year-on-year due to a decrease in demand in the market of uranium products. The largest supplies of uranium …

Uranium prices: projects flounder as market uncertainty continues

The uranium market is prompting cautious optimism for observers after a 30% price rally since spring 2018, but developing a uranium mine remains a risky proposition for a host of reasons. With the market at a crossroads and high-profile mining projects encountering difficulties at various stages of development, is the optimism justified? After years of …

Orano commissions new conversion facility

The new Philippe Coste uranium conversion plant at Orano’s Tricastin site in southern France has now been commissioned following the completion of a test programme. Orano said that during the testing programme the plant’s process equipment was progressively started up so that the complete manufacturing line could be tried out. The major equipment of the …

The lights could go out this winter if we close more coal and nuclear power plants

It’s been an early start to winter this year across much of the Central and Eastern United States. And plunging temperatures have highlighted a surprising fact: Not only are natural-gas prices soaring, but fuel stockpiles have dipped to unusually low levels. It’s a somewhat unexpected turn of events — since the United States has been the …