Australia To Supply Uranium To India

Australia to supply uranium to India
Thursday, 13 Aug 2009

India has expressed its interest in having civil nuclear cooperation with Australia, amid indications that the two countries are likely to sign an energy agreement in November under which Australia may supply uranium for joint venture power plants.

Australia’s policy of not supplying uranium to countries that have not signed the Nuclear Non proliferation Treaty was noted by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, who had discussions on a wide variety of bilateral subjects with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his counterpart Stephen Smith.

Mr Krishna told a press conference that While we have noted Australia’s position on the issue of the supply of uranium to India, we would be interested in having civil nuclear cooperation with Australia as well, as and when it is ready.

Mr Krishna said that India needs to expand the use of nuclear power to meet our growing energy requirement in a climate friendly way. We are thankful for Australia’s support in IAEA and NSG. Following the NSG waiver we have been making progress on civil nuclear cooperation with partners such as US, France and Russia.

Mr Rudd is expected to visit India in November when the two countries are likely to sign an Energy Declaration for generation of nuclear power for which his country may supply uranium.







Chinese Nuclear plans forge ahead
16 June 2009
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Two new heavy forging milestones have been reached with Russia's new "super-powered" forge as large as any in the world and the first large pressure vessel completely made in China.

Developments such as these are coming increasingly rapidly as the global supply chain prepares to meet a surge in orders for new nuclear power systems.

A ceremony yesterday marked the shipping of the reactor pressure vessel for the Ling Ao Phase II unit 2. The reactor is a domestically engineered 1080 MWe unit and the production of a pressure vessel of this size in China is a first. The component, measuring over 13 metres long and weighing over 320 tonnes, was made at Dongfang (Guangzhou) Heavy Machinery's Nansha facility in Guangdong province. Unit 1 and unit 2 at Ling Ao Phase II are to enter commercial operation towards the ends of 2010 and 2011.


Ling Ao Phase II unit 3 reactor pressure vessel (CGNPC)


The Chinese-produced reactor pressure vessel (Image: Dongfang)







China Guangdong Nuclear Power Company (CGNPC), which owns Ling Ao, said the achievement of Dongfang in making the component was a 'major breakthrough to accelerate the progress of self-reliance of nuclear power... to improve the level of the industrial chain.'

Each time CGNPC has built a new reactor it has been able to increase the amount of domestically made components. The first two at Ling Ao, based on an imported French design built nearby at Daya Bay, featured around 30% Chinese components. The figure rose to 60% at Ling Ao Phase II, to 75% at Hongyanhe, to 80% at Ningde and to 83% at Yangjiang.


"Super-powered" complex

Meanwhile, Russia's efforts to increase its own nuclear supply chain bore fruit with the completion of a "super-powered next generation steel melting complex" at OMZ's Izhorskiye Zavody facility. The development is a major step towards the forging of single components from ingots of up to 600 tonnes in weight - equivalent to the largest facilities anywhere in the world.

Japan Steel Works is seen as the leader in this area of super-heavy forgings, but has now been joined by OMZ while two Chinese and one British firm could soon join the super-heavyweight club. Shanghai Electric Company and Dongfang are planning forges that will accept 600 tonne ingots, while Sheffield Forgemasters is hoping for government help to build one to accept 500 tonne ingots.

The improvements at OMZ are part of a Russian strategic plan to gear up for work in the nuclear, oil, gas and general energy sectors. The improvements were financed by GazPromBank. OMZ said the new capabilities "will put an end to foreign producers' monopoly in the production of rotors for low speed turbines and generators." Large half-speed turbines are planned for new Russian nuclear power units under a 2007 deal with AtomEnergoMash and France's Alstom, which have a joint venture to build the non-nuclear half of the power plants.

Farid Kantserov, chair of OMZ, said: "This is a momentous event for the entire Russian machine building industry as it confirms our willingness to take an active part in the development of the domestic nuclear energy sector and to compete successfully with leading Western companies in the foreign market."