Fuel cycle roundup #11
17 July 2013
German fuel contract
EOn Kraftwerk has extended an existing contract with Westinghouse for the supply of nuclear fuel assemblies to its German nuclear power plants.
Under the contract, originally signed in 2012, Westinghouse will supply fuel from its fabrication plant in Västerås, Sweden, to EOn's Brokdorf, Grohnde and Isar 2 plants in 2016 and 2017. While these plants are scheduled to close in either 2021 or 2022, EOn's only other operating plant - Grafenrheinfeld - is due to shut down in 2015.
Areva, Aura end partnership talks
Areva Mines has decided not to enter into a strategic partnership with Australia's Aura Energy for the Häggån uranium and polymetallic project in Sweden. In February, Aura confirmed Areva Mines as its preferred partner for the project.
Figures released in mid-2012 estimate resources of 800 million pounds U3O8 (307,718 tU) at Häggån, making the Swedish project the second largest undeveloped uranium resource in the world, Aura claims. The uranium occurs with molybdenum, vanadium and zinc in black shales, and Aura has reported yields of up to 85% uranium from bioheap leaching tests.
URI, Itochu amend supply contract
Uranium Resources Inc (URI) has amended its uranium supply contract with Japanese trading house Itochu, with changes to the pricing structure, delivery dates and quantities.
Under the renegotiated contract, Itochu will buy 50% of all production from URI's Vasquez, Rosita and Kingsville projects in Texas, up to 3 million pounds U3O8 (1154 tU). The purchase price will be based on published market prices, subject to a 5% discount when the market price is below $56.50 per pound and a 7% discount when it is above this.
Uranium Equities to spin off PhosEnergy
Australia-based Uranium Equities has decided to separate its exploration activities and its uranium by-product technology interests through a demerger of its PhosEnergy Process assets. The company said that the move "will create two independently focussed companies and allow different funding and development strategies to be applied to the substantially different businesses."
The PhosEnergy process uses ion exchange to separate uranium as a by-product from the production of phosphate-based fertilisers, and has been proven at the demonstration plant scale. Uranium Equities' exploration interests centre on the historic Nabarlek uranium deposit in Australia's Northern Territory. An open-pit mine operated at Nabarlek from 1979 to 1988, and the area has since been rehabilitated.
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News