Wall claims 'great day' for province
[ http://www.thestarphoenix.com/business/ ... z1lzzRfe3B ]
An agreement that is expected to allow Canadian companies to ship uranium to China is "very, very important" for Saskatchewan, Premier Brad Wall said on Thursday in reaction to news from Prime Minister Stephen Harper's visit to the Asian superpower.
"It's a great day for Saskatchewan and we want to thank the federal government and the prime minister for raising a very Saskatchewan issue on their trade mission and making progress," Wall told reporters Thursday at the Legislative Building.
Though a small amount of Saskatchewan uranium has been shipped to China before under special agreements, the new trade agreement signed by Harper is expected to allow Saskatchewan producers to directly sell Canadian yellowcake - a type of uranium concentrate powder - to China, he continued.
"We've worked hard to promote the fact that between 20 and 26 per cent of the uranium in the world is mined here and produced here in the province, and that we need to continue opening up markets," Wall said, noting efforts to sell uranium to China, as well as India, have long been in the works and are now reaching fruition.
"The No. 1 economy in the world in terms of its move toward nuclear power is by far China," he said. "We were shut out of that market. . We were stymied in the world's largest market.
"This is a very, very important development."
Wall said the new deal will allow Saskatoon-based Cameco Corp. to move ahead with supply agreements originally signed with China in 2010 which could be worth as much as $3 billion through 2025. The government expects hundreds of millions in royalties from that arrangement.
"We have Saskatchewan uranium being used to generate electricity," Wall said. "This also has an important environmental impact on the world. China is building a coal plant on average once every couple of weeks. Of course, the more nuclear power they generate, the less reliant they'll be on coal. Uranium in terms of CO2 is a clean source of energy."
The deal with China could also lead to more aboriginal employment in Saskatchewan, Wall said, noting Cameco's mines in the province's north already employ workforces comprised of about 42 per cent First Nations and Metis individuals.
The premier said he expects it will be "a number of months" before the details of the trade agreement are finalized and exports to China can officially begin. But he noted that based on his experience with the Chinese market, the announcement wouldn't have been made Thursday "if that's not where we are at."
The agreement also requires verification that Canadian uranium is being used for appropriate civilian purposes. Wall indicated the deal will be at least as strict as a similar one Australia has with China that involves numerous checks and balances.
"The prime minister has been very clear: Canadian uranium is for electricity only," Wall said. [ . . . ]
= = = = =
Lac La Ronge band applauds Canada-China uranium deal
[ http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Ro ... story.html ]
The chief of one of Saskatchewan’s largest First Nations is applauding the recent uranium deal struck between Canada and China, saying it will mean more jobs and economic development in the province’s north.
“This will mean more investment, job opportunities, business development, and community support initiatives that will continue to benefit Saskatchewan’s north over the coming years,” Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook-Searson said Friday in a statement.
“We have many band members and several businesses that serve the uranium mining industry so we share in their success.”
During Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to China this week, one of the many deals concluded was an agreement to export Canadian uranium to China. Approximately one-quarter of the world’s uranium is mined in northern Saskatchewan.
The Lac La Ronge Indian Band and its business arm, Kitsaki Management LP, have worked in partnership for years with industry and all levels of government to support uranium development, the band stated in the release.
Kitsaki has investments in a number of companies that provide services to the uranium mining industry, including Northern Resource Trucking Limited Partnership, Athabasca Catering Limited Partnership, and Canada North Environmental Services Limited Partnership. The company also has businesses with the potential to benefit from increased mining activity, including Asiniy Gravel Crushing Limited Partnership, and Kitsaki Procon Joint Venture. [ . . . ]
= = = = = =
Canada Allows Exports of Uranium to China
[ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... lenews_wsj ]
EDWARD WELSCH WSJ Online 10 February 2012
CALGARY, Alberta - Canada said it will allow the sale to China of uranium for use in nuclear-energy generation, clearing the way for Canadian
producers to compete with China's current suppliers in Kazakhstan, Australia and Russia.
The deal was one of several trade pacts signed between the Chinese and Canadian governments and companies during a visit to Beijing by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Mr. Harper has said opening new markets in Asia for Canada's energy and mining resources is a priority, as the country moves to improve ties with China and reduce its reliance on the U.S. His government ramped up those efforts after the Obama administration rejected a crude-oil pipeline plan. Almost all of Canada's oil exports go to the U.S.
The new agreement allows the sale to China of yellowcake, a concentrated uranium powder used to make fuel rods for nuclear reactors. It can also be used to make weapons.
The pact will ensure that uranium exported to China will be used only for peaceful, civilian purposes, the Canadian prime minister's office said.
Canada produces about a fifth of the world's uranium and exports more than 80% of its production, according to the World Nuclear Association. It is now the world's No. 2 exporter, after Kazakhstan. Canada sends most of its exports to the U.S., Europe and Japan.
The fast-growing Chinese market has long been closed to Canadian producers.
In 1976, after India used a Canadian-made nuclear reactor to construct its first nuclear bomb, Canada barred exports of uranium and nuclear reactors to countries that hadn't agreed to stop the spread of nuclear weapons technology - a list that at the time included China.
A 1994 agreement between Canada and China allowed the sale of reactors, but until this week's amendment to that pact, Canada hadn't yet relaxed its restriction on selling nuclear fuel to China.
"This agreement will help Canadian uranium companies to substantially increase exports to China, the world's fastest growing market for these
products," Mr. Harper said. "It will generate jobs here at home while contributing to the use of clean, reliable energy in China."
The pact cheered uranium producers in Canada. Cameco Corp., the world's largest uranium producer, based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, said it could now move forward on two contracts signed in 2010 to deliver a total of 52 million pounds of yellowcake to China by 2025.
= = = = =
Harper relaxes accountability rules for China’s use of uranium
[ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/pol ... le2333398/ ]
campbell clark AND shawn mccarthy
OTTAWA— From Friday's Globe and Mail
Published Thursday, Feb. 09, 2012 9:26PM EST Last updated Friday, Feb. 10, 2012 5:53AM EST
Stephen Harper has chosen to override the qualms of the government’s non-proliferation experts to permit a multibillion-dollar business in exports of Saskatchewan uranium to China’s nuclear industry.
A deal the Prime Minister announced in China, a protocol amending Canada’s nuclear co-operation agreement with China to allow the export of uranium concentrate, seals far closer ties with Beijing than ever seemed possible in Mr. Harper’s early days in power.
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall lobbied Mr. Harper personally over the past year to reach the arrangement with Beijing. It means Saskatchewan’s Cameco Corp. can now use Canadian uranium in two contracts worth up to $3-billion.
“This means new investment in the province. I think it means jobs,” Mr. Wall told CTV News.
But the deal with Beijing has raised concerns in Ottawa, because it includes less stringent accounting for how the uranium is used than Canada typically demands, sources said. When Australia made a similar deal with China in 2008 that included less accountability, it faced criticism from other uranium suppliers, including Canada.
China insisted on getting the same sort of accounting requirements for Canadian exports that it got from Australia. As well as using uranium for other purposes, it also has military nuclear programs, which are not subject to accounting or inspection.
“The issue is requiring full safeguards, full accountability,” said Ernie Regehr, a fellow at the University of Waterloo’s Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies.
In 2010, Saskatchewan’s Cameco struck two long-term deals to sell 52 million pounds of uranium concentrate to China, but had to ship uranium from other countries, such as Namibia and Kazakhstan, because exporting Canadian uranium to China was not allowed, and federal officials were uneasy with the idea of easing accounting standards to allow it.
“This agreement has been worked on since then, so this is the culmination of that work,” Cameco chief executive Tim Gitzel said in a telephone interview from Zhenjiang, where he and Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver will be visiting a nuclear reactor under construction.
Now, the booming Chinese market will underpin a planned expansion at Cameco that will increase production to 40 million pounds a year by 2018 from 22 million pounds, with potential for an additional 20 million pounds after 2020.
While the Canadian uranium deal raised questions, there are differences over whether it presents a real risk. China already has nuclear weapons, is believed to have halted stockpiling, and has shown restraint in limiting its arsenal. [ . . ]
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China's Pandas, Harper & Saskatchewan Uranium
7 posts
• Page 1 of 1
China's Pandas, Harper & Saskatchewan Uranium
by Oscar » Sat Feb 11, 2012 4:51 pm
Last edited by Oscar on Sun Nov 24, 2013 4:32 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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BOYD LEADS RESOURCES INVESTMENT MISSION TO CHINA AND AUSTRAL
by Oscar » Fri Feb 17, 2012 11:18 am
BOYD LEADS RESOURCES INVESTMENT MISSION TO CHINA AND AUSTRALIA
[ http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=85f6af ... 96478fad2f ]
News Release - February 17, 2012
Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd leaves Sunday for a two-week resources investment mission to China and Australia.
Boyd and a small government delegation will be in Beijing, Shandong, Melbourne and Adelaide from February 19 to March 3. The minister will promote business investment and market development opportunities in Saskatchewan, with an emphasis on uranium, potash and oil projects. He will also connect with major companies that already have investments in the province.
"Saskatchewan's resource riches are in the international spotlight more than ever before and projects here have attracted considerable interest and capital from Asian and Australian investors," Boyd said. "Missions such as this one keep that momentum going and reinforce the advantages of doing business in our ‘resource-full' province with existing and potential investors and customers.
"This mission is also very timely, in that it follows closely on Prime Minister Harper's recent mission to China and the new deal he concluded that will allow Saskatchewan uranium sales to China. I expect our uranium resources and the energy opportunities they afford to be top of mind in a number of the meetings that I'll have in Beijing."
Private companies and government agencies that Boyd will meet with in China include the China Investment Corporation, the China National Nuclear Corporation; Sinofert, Canpotex, the China Development Bank, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
The minister will also sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on scientific and technical research co-operation on uranium geology with the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology, a research establishment of the China National Nuclear Corporation.
The Australian leg of the mission includes meetings with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, international mining companies that are developing potash and uranium projects in Saskatchewan. The minister will tour BHP Billiton's large Olympic Dam mine which produces copper and gold in addition to uranium.
While in Adelaide, Boyd will also meet with South Australia's Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Tom Koutsantonis. Saskatchewan has had a MOU in place with that Australian state for the past three years, covering technical exchanges of geoscience and regulatory information between the two jurisdictions.
"This information-sharing relationship with South Australia has been very valuable to our government and our mining industry," Boyd said. "It's added to our understanding of the nature of the rich deposits in our Athabasca Basin, and that new knowledge is already being applied in mineral exploration up north."
Boyd will be accompanied on the mission by four officials from Energy and Resources and Executive Council Intergovernmental Affairs. -30-
For more information, contact:
Bob Ellis
Energy and Resources
Regina
Phone: 306-787-1691
Email: robert.ellis@gov.sk.ca
- - - -
Olympic Dam:
[ http://www.wise-uranium.org/umopauod.html ]
[ http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=85f6af ... 96478fad2f ]
News Release - February 17, 2012
Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd leaves Sunday for a two-week resources investment mission to China and Australia.
Boyd and a small government delegation will be in Beijing, Shandong, Melbourne and Adelaide from February 19 to March 3. The minister will promote business investment and market development opportunities in Saskatchewan, with an emphasis on uranium, potash and oil projects. He will also connect with major companies that already have investments in the province.
"Saskatchewan's resource riches are in the international spotlight more than ever before and projects here have attracted considerable interest and capital from Asian and Australian investors," Boyd said. "Missions such as this one keep that momentum going and reinforce the advantages of doing business in our ‘resource-full' province with existing and potential investors and customers.
"This mission is also very timely, in that it follows closely on Prime Minister Harper's recent mission to China and the new deal he concluded that will allow Saskatchewan uranium sales to China. I expect our uranium resources and the energy opportunities they afford to be top of mind in a number of the meetings that I'll have in Beijing."
Private companies and government agencies that Boyd will meet with in China include the China Investment Corporation, the China National Nuclear Corporation; Sinofert, Canpotex, the China Development Bank, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
The minister will also sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on scientific and technical research co-operation on uranium geology with the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology, a research establishment of the China National Nuclear Corporation.
The Australian leg of the mission includes meetings with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, international mining companies that are developing potash and uranium projects in Saskatchewan. The minister will tour BHP Billiton's large Olympic Dam mine which produces copper and gold in addition to uranium.
While in Adelaide, Boyd will also meet with South Australia's Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Tom Koutsantonis. Saskatchewan has had a MOU in place with that Australian state for the past three years, covering technical exchanges of geoscience and regulatory information between the two jurisdictions.
"This information-sharing relationship with South Australia has been very valuable to our government and our mining industry," Boyd said. "It's added to our understanding of the nature of the rich deposits in our Athabasca Basin, and that new knowledge is already being applied in mineral exploration up north."
Boyd will be accompanied on the mission by four officials from Energy and Resources and Executive Council Intergovernmental Affairs. -30-
For more information, contact:
Bob Ellis
Energy and Resources
Regina
Phone: 306-787-1691
Email: robert.ellis@gov.sk.ca
- - - -
Olympic Dam:
[ http://www.wise-uranium.org/umopauod.html ]
Last edited by Oscar on Sun Nov 24, 2013 4:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Cameco cracks Chinese market
by Oscar » Fri Feb 17, 2012 11:25 am
Cameco cracks Chinese market
Uranium supply agreement signed with power utility
[ http://www.thestarphoenix.com/technolog ... story.html ]
By Cassandra Kyle, The Star Phoenix June 25, 2010
Cameco Corp. has signed agreements regarding the supply of uranium with two Chinese companies.
The Saskatoon company said Thursday it will supply the China Nuclear Energy Industry Corp. (CNEIC), a wholly owned subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC), with approximately 23 million pounds of uranium concentrate under a long-term agreement through 2020.
"This is Cameco's first long-term uranium supply agreement with a major Chinese nuclear utility," said company CEO Jerry Grandey.
"This agreement indicates clearly that we intend to be very active in the world's fastest growing uranium market."
CNNC is currently China's largest nuclear generator, operating seven reactors with 5,100 megawatts of capacity. The company also has 10 reactors totalling 9,100 megawatts of capacity under construction.
By 2020, CNNC expects to be one of the world's leading nuclear power companies.
Cameco said reports from China indicate that during the next decade the country plans to grow its nuclear capacity to 70 gigawatts from the nine gigawatts it counts today. China could produce between 120 and 160 gigawatts by 2030.
"The rapid expansion of nuclear capacity in China demonstrates the excellent prospects for nuclear energy and the solid underpinning of our plan to double uranium production by 2018," Grandey added.
The deal with CNEIC is subject to Chinese government approval. An estimated value of the agreement was not released.
Meanwhile, Cameco also announced Thursday it is pursuing long-term co-operation opportunities with the China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Co. Ltd. (CGNPC) to supply fuel for its growing number of nuclear power plants.
According to Cameco, CGNPC needs uranium to fuel its four existing reactors along with others currently under construction. The Chinese company has about 20,000 megawatts of nuclear capacity under construction and expects to have more than 50,000 megawatts of power available by 2020. [ . . . ]
___________________________
Cameco sees great potential in partnership with China
[ http://www.nationalpost.com/Cameco+sees ... story.html ]
Peter Koven, Financial Post - Saturday, Jun. 26, 2010
TORONTO - This is the partnership Cameco Corp.' s investors have been waiting for.
After a couple of years of talks, the Saskatoon-based uranium giant has finally formed a working partnership with China, a country that is on the cusp of becoming a massive player in the nuclear business.
Cameco unveiled on Thursday landmark agreements to supply uranium to two major Chinese state-owned nuclear companies: China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC) and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Co. Ltd. (CGNPC).
The CNNC deal covers a massive 23 million pounds of uranium through 2020, a much bigger and longer-lasting contract than China has signed with other uranium companies. And while the details of the CGNPC agreement still need to be negotiated, it also includes plans for the two companies to work together to develop uranium resources.
For Cameco chief executive Jerry Grandey, this is just the start of the China strategy.
"This is what I would describe as the initial step of co-operation. Given their expansion plans, I would expect there to be other contracts to follow in the coming years," he said in an interview yesterday.
While shareholders have waited impatiently for these deals to be struck, Mr. Grandey said the negotiation process with China was very smooth. The two sides needed time to build a relationship, and the Chinese needed to see Cameco's operations for themselves.
For Cameco, the effort was worth it: In the uranium business, China represents the holy grail. While many countries are looking to ramp up production of emission-free nuclear power right now, China's plans are the most ambitious by far.
According to the World Nuclear Association, China has 23 nuclear reactors under construction (more than double any other country) and another 34 planned (more than double every country except India).
All of these new reactors are expected to increase China's nuclear power capacity from the current level of nine gigawatts to at least 70 gigawatts by 2020 and 120 to 160 gigawatts or more by 2030.
"I don't think there's much doubt that they can stay on that schedule," Mr. Grandey said.
If China produces 70 gigawatts in 2020, he said that would require about 35 million pounds of uranium. [ . . . ]
Uranium supply agreement signed with power utility
[ http://www.thestarphoenix.com/technolog ... story.html ]
By Cassandra Kyle, The Star Phoenix June 25, 2010
Cameco Corp. has signed agreements regarding the supply of uranium with two Chinese companies.
The Saskatoon company said Thursday it will supply the China Nuclear Energy Industry Corp. (CNEIC), a wholly owned subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC), with approximately 23 million pounds of uranium concentrate under a long-term agreement through 2020.
"This is Cameco's first long-term uranium supply agreement with a major Chinese nuclear utility," said company CEO Jerry Grandey.
"This agreement indicates clearly that we intend to be very active in the world's fastest growing uranium market."
CNNC is currently China's largest nuclear generator, operating seven reactors with 5,100 megawatts of capacity. The company also has 10 reactors totalling 9,100 megawatts of capacity under construction.
By 2020, CNNC expects to be one of the world's leading nuclear power companies.
Cameco said reports from China indicate that during the next decade the country plans to grow its nuclear capacity to 70 gigawatts from the nine gigawatts it counts today. China could produce between 120 and 160 gigawatts by 2030.
"The rapid expansion of nuclear capacity in China demonstrates the excellent prospects for nuclear energy and the solid underpinning of our plan to double uranium production by 2018," Grandey added.
The deal with CNEIC is subject to Chinese government approval. An estimated value of the agreement was not released.
Meanwhile, Cameco also announced Thursday it is pursuing long-term co-operation opportunities with the China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Co. Ltd. (CGNPC) to supply fuel for its growing number of nuclear power plants.
According to Cameco, CGNPC needs uranium to fuel its four existing reactors along with others currently under construction. The Chinese company has about 20,000 megawatts of nuclear capacity under construction and expects to have more than 50,000 megawatts of power available by 2020. [ . . . ]
___________________________
Cameco sees great potential in partnership with China
[ http://www.nationalpost.com/Cameco+sees ... story.html ]
Peter Koven, Financial Post - Saturday, Jun. 26, 2010
TORONTO - This is the partnership Cameco Corp.' s investors have been waiting for.
After a couple of years of talks, the Saskatoon-based uranium giant has finally formed a working partnership with China, a country that is on the cusp of becoming a massive player in the nuclear business.
Cameco unveiled on Thursday landmark agreements to supply uranium to two major Chinese state-owned nuclear companies: China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC) and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Co. Ltd. (CGNPC).
The CNNC deal covers a massive 23 million pounds of uranium through 2020, a much bigger and longer-lasting contract than China has signed with other uranium companies. And while the details of the CGNPC agreement still need to be negotiated, it also includes plans for the two companies to work together to develop uranium resources.
For Cameco chief executive Jerry Grandey, this is just the start of the China strategy.
"This is what I would describe as the initial step of co-operation. Given their expansion plans, I would expect there to be other contracts to follow in the coming years," he said in an interview yesterday.
While shareholders have waited impatiently for these deals to be struck, Mr. Grandey said the negotiation process with China was very smooth. The two sides needed time to build a relationship, and the Chinese needed to see Cameco's operations for themselves.
For Cameco, the effort was worth it: In the uranium business, China represents the holy grail. While many countries are looking to ramp up production of emission-free nuclear power right now, China's plans are the most ambitious by far.
According to the World Nuclear Association, China has 23 nuclear reactors under construction (more than double any other country) and another 34 planned (more than double every country except India).
All of these new reactors are expected to increase China's nuclear power capacity from the current level of nine gigawatts to at least 70 gigawatts by 2020 and 120 to 160 gigawatts or more by 2030.
"I don't think there's much doubt that they can stay on that schedule," Mr. Grandey said.
If China produces 70 gigawatts in 2020, he said that would require about 35 million pounds of uranium. [ . . . ]
Last edited by Oscar on Sun Nov 24, 2013 4:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Premier Wall Just Can't Say "NO" To Uranium!!
by Oscar » Thu Sep 20, 2012 9:26 am
. . . fossilized mentality - frozen in time!
Premier Wall Just Can't Say "NO" To Uranium!!
Elaine Hughes
Archerwill, SK
= = = = = =
PREMIER RETURNS FROM TRADE MISSION TO ASIA
[ http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=bcfb0c ... b9e3d5af6a ]
News Release - September 19, 2012
Premier Brad Wall has concluded a trade mission focused on promoting food, energy and innovation opportunities in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia.
"An important part of our growth agenda is telling Saskatchewan's story and promoting trade and investment opportunities to fast growing economies that desire greater food and energy security," Wall said. "China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), led by Indonesia are among those at the top of that list and we cannot take those markets for granted."
Over the course of nine days, Premier Wall met with a number of government and business leaders in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia and participated in several key signings, among them a memorandum of understanding between SaskPower and the China International Centre for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE) and the China Beijing Environment Exchange (CBEEX) in the area of carbon capture sequestration.
"The agreement signed by SaskPower recognizes Saskatchewan's leading position in the carbon capture and storage field by one of the world's largest economies," SaskPower President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Watson said. "We are well positioned to work with China as a partner to build a future for clean energy and reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions."
Representatives from Saskatoon-based uranium producer Cameco were in China during Premier Wall's trade mission, exploring new markets and export opportunities. The increased accessibility of the Chinese market is a direct result of new regulations that were adopted by the federal government in February of 2012, changes sought and welcomed by the Government of Saskatchewan.
"Premier Wall has been a great help in gaining better access to the Chinese market for Canadian uranium producers," Cameco's Senior Vice-president and Chief Corporate Officer Alice Wong said. "Growing uranium trade with China will mean more jobs, more development and more investment here in Saskatchewan by Cameco and other producers."
Asian markets continue to be an area of tremendous growth for Saskatchewan exports. China is currently Saskatchewan's second largest export market. Since 2006, Saskatchewan exports to China have almost tripled to $1.7 billion. Potash, canola seed, canola oil and peas comprise 83 per cent of the province's trade exports to China.
Indonesia is also quickly emerging as a major importer of Saskatchewan produced resources. Indonesia is Saskatchewan's fifth largest export market. In 2011, provincial exports hit an all time high of $817 million. Saskatchewan is Canada's largest exporter to Indonesia, accounting for nearly 50 per cent of the country's exports.
"It is a very exciting time to be living in Saskatchewan, with the knowledge that the resources we produce, right here at home, are the resources that are building the world around us," Wall said. "As we move into the future, markets like China and Indonesia will provide great opportunities for Saskatchewan, but we must engage, we must build long term relationships." -30-
For more information, contact:
Kathy Young
Executive Council
Regina
Phone: 306-787-0425
Email: kathy.young@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-526-8927
= = = = =
PREMIER WALL SUPPORTIVE OF FIVE-YEAR POTASH DEALS WITH INDONESIAN ENTITIES
[ http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=827aaa ... f9d76866e6 ]
News Release - September 19, 2012
As part of a trade mission to Asia, Premier Brad Wall took part in a meeting which concluded with the signing of four five-year potash agreements between Canpotex and an Indonesian consortium of potash buyers. The Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) were signed Tuesday evening in Jakarta, Indonesia and will provide Indonesia with the potash supplies it will require in the future to meet its fast growing demand.
"The people of our province are in the enviable position of owning 45 per cent of the world's potash reserves," Wall said. "As such, it is incumbent on us to get to know our potash customers, understand their needs and interests, and build the bridges that help our industry grow in key international markets."
Indonesian imports of potash from Saskatchewan have risen by 85 per cent over the last five years. Indonesia uses Saskatchewan potash to grow crude palm oil, rice, maize and cash crops.
"Indonesia is one of the most exciting, rapidly growing potash markets in the world and Canpotex is the largest supplier of potash to this important market," Canpotex President and CEO Steven Dechka said. "It's very helpful, therefore, to have Premier Wall visit Indonesia and build on our relationships in this country, which are so important to Saskatchewan's economic future."
In addition to potash, Indonesia imports other goods from Saskatchewan such as semi-chemical wood pulp, non-durum wheat and peas. Close to 50 per cent of the recorded exports to Indonesia from Canada come from Saskatchewan.
Premier Wall's stop in Indonesia marks the first time a Saskatchewan Premier has ever visited the country. Indonesia is the last of four countries to be visited by Wall on a nine-day trade mission to Asia. -30-
For more information, contact:
Kathy Young
Executive Council
Regina
Phone: 306-787-0425
Email: kathy.young@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-526-8927
= = = = = = = =
2011–2012 world nuclear industry status report
Mycle Schneider, Antony Froggatt, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists,
[ http://bos.sagepub.com/content/68/5/8.abstract ]
Abstract
The market niche that nuclear power once held is disappearing. The key nuclear indicators—including the number of operating reactors, installed capacity, power generation, and share of total electricity generation—all show that the global nuclear industry is in decline. In 2012, nuclear power’s competitors—most notably, wind and solar generation—are rapidly gaining market share as long lead times, construction delays, cost overruns, and safety concerns have combined to make nuclear power a risky investment that the markets are increasingly unwilling to make. To renew the aging world nuclear fleet, nuclear utilities would need to surmount a number of major problems, including a short-term manufacturing bottleneck, a shortage of skilled workers, regulatory uncertainty, a skeptical financial sector, and negative public opinion. The aftermath of the Fukushima disaster and the world economic crisis have only exacerbated these problems. The authors write that a realistic scenario that leads to an increase in nuclear’s share of the world’s electricity is hard to imagine.
= = = = =
Videos from Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, One Year Later now available online
----- Original Message -----
From: Andrea Levy
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 8:35 AM
Subject: [Stop-Darlington] Videos from Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, One Year Later now available online
[ http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL ... ture=addto ]
Andrea Levy
Administrative Officer
Physicians for Global Survival
208-145 Spruce St, Ottawa, ON K1R 6P1
613-233-1982
www.pgs.ca
Premier Wall Just Can't Say "NO" To Uranium!!
Elaine Hughes
Archerwill, SK
= = = = = =
PREMIER RETURNS FROM TRADE MISSION TO ASIA
[ http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=bcfb0c ... b9e3d5af6a ]
News Release - September 19, 2012
Premier Brad Wall has concluded a trade mission focused on promoting food, energy and innovation opportunities in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia.
"An important part of our growth agenda is telling Saskatchewan's story and promoting trade and investment opportunities to fast growing economies that desire greater food and energy security," Wall said. "China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), led by Indonesia are among those at the top of that list and we cannot take those markets for granted."
Over the course of nine days, Premier Wall met with a number of government and business leaders in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia and participated in several key signings, among them a memorandum of understanding between SaskPower and the China International Centre for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE) and the China Beijing Environment Exchange (CBEEX) in the area of carbon capture sequestration.
"The agreement signed by SaskPower recognizes Saskatchewan's leading position in the carbon capture and storage field by one of the world's largest economies," SaskPower President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Watson said. "We are well positioned to work with China as a partner to build a future for clean energy and reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions."
Representatives from Saskatoon-based uranium producer Cameco were in China during Premier Wall's trade mission, exploring new markets and export opportunities. The increased accessibility of the Chinese market is a direct result of new regulations that were adopted by the federal government in February of 2012, changes sought and welcomed by the Government of Saskatchewan.
"Premier Wall has been a great help in gaining better access to the Chinese market for Canadian uranium producers," Cameco's Senior Vice-president and Chief Corporate Officer Alice Wong said. "Growing uranium trade with China will mean more jobs, more development and more investment here in Saskatchewan by Cameco and other producers."
Asian markets continue to be an area of tremendous growth for Saskatchewan exports. China is currently Saskatchewan's second largest export market. Since 2006, Saskatchewan exports to China have almost tripled to $1.7 billion. Potash, canola seed, canola oil and peas comprise 83 per cent of the province's trade exports to China.
Indonesia is also quickly emerging as a major importer of Saskatchewan produced resources. Indonesia is Saskatchewan's fifth largest export market. In 2011, provincial exports hit an all time high of $817 million. Saskatchewan is Canada's largest exporter to Indonesia, accounting for nearly 50 per cent of the country's exports.
"It is a very exciting time to be living in Saskatchewan, with the knowledge that the resources we produce, right here at home, are the resources that are building the world around us," Wall said. "As we move into the future, markets like China and Indonesia will provide great opportunities for Saskatchewan, but we must engage, we must build long term relationships." -30-
For more information, contact:
Kathy Young
Executive Council
Regina
Phone: 306-787-0425
Email: kathy.young@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-526-8927
= = = = =
PREMIER WALL SUPPORTIVE OF FIVE-YEAR POTASH DEALS WITH INDONESIAN ENTITIES
[ http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=827aaa ... f9d76866e6 ]
News Release - September 19, 2012
As part of a trade mission to Asia, Premier Brad Wall took part in a meeting which concluded with the signing of four five-year potash agreements between Canpotex and an Indonesian consortium of potash buyers. The Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) were signed Tuesday evening in Jakarta, Indonesia and will provide Indonesia with the potash supplies it will require in the future to meet its fast growing demand.
"The people of our province are in the enviable position of owning 45 per cent of the world's potash reserves," Wall said. "As such, it is incumbent on us to get to know our potash customers, understand their needs and interests, and build the bridges that help our industry grow in key international markets."
Indonesian imports of potash from Saskatchewan have risen by 85 per cent over the last five years. Indonesia uses Saskatchewan potash to grow crude palm oil, rice, maize and cash crops.
"Indonesia is one of the most exciting, rapidly growing potash markets in the world and Canpotex is the largest supplier of potash to this important market," Canpotex President and CEO Steven Dechka said. "It's very helpful, therefore, to have Premier Wall visit Indonesia and build on our relationships in this country, which are so important to Saskatchewan's economic future."
In addition to potash, Indonesia imports other goods from Saskatchewan such as semi-chemical wood pulp, non-durum wheat and peas. Close to 50 per cent of the recorded exports to Indonesia from Canada come from Saskatchewan.
Premier Wall's stop in Indonesia marks the first time a Saskatchewan Premier has ever visited the country. Indonesia is the last of four countries to be visited by Wall on a nine-day trade mission to Asia. -30-
For more information, contact:
Kathy Young
Executive Council
Regina
Phone: 306-787-0425
Email: kathy.young@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-526-8927
= = = = = = = =
2011–2012 world nuclear industry status report
Mycle Schneider, Antony Froggatt, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists,
[ http://bos.sagepub.com/content/68/5/8.abstract ]
Abstract
The market niche that nuclear power once held is disappearing. The key nuclear indicators—including the number of operating reactors, installed capacity, power generation, and share of total electricity generation—all show that the global nuclear industry is in decline. In 2012, nuclear power’s competitors—most notably, wind and solar generation—are rapidly gaining market share as long lead times, construction delays, cost overruns, and safety concerns have combined to make nuclear power a risky investment that the markets are increasingly unwilling to make. To renew the aging world nuclear fleet, nuclear utilities would need to surmount a number of major problems, including a short-term manufacturing bottleneck, a shortage of skilled workers, regulatory uncertainty, a skeptical financial sector, and negative public opinion. The aftermath of the Fukushima disaster and the world economic crisis have only exacerbated these problems. The authors write that a realistic scenario that leads to an increase in nuclear’s share of the world’s electricity is hard to imagine.
= = = = =
Videos from Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, One Year Later now available online
----- Original Message -----
From: Andrea Levy
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 8:35 AM
Subject: [Stop-Darlington] Videos from Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, One Year Later now available online
[ http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL ... ture=addto ]
Andrea Levy
Administrative Officer
Physicians for Global Survival
208-145 Spruce St, Ottawa, ON K1R 6P1
613-233-1982
www.pgs.ca
Last edited by Oscar on Sun Nov 24, 2013 4:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Sask Party Government and NDP Opposition support Uranium exp
by Oscar » Mon Apr 08, 2013 8:03 am
Sask Party Government and NDP Opposition support Uranium exports to potential rogue state
For immediate release April 7, 2013
Regina, Saskatchewan – The Green Party of Saskatchewan (GPS) wants to know why the Saskatchewan Party Government and NDP Opposition support exporting Uranium to China.
GPS Leader Victor Lau points out that China is struggling to keep North Korea under control.
“If China is unwilling or unable to keep North Korea under control, how can our citizens be assured that Saskatchewan Uranium exports won’t be used to build nuclear weapons?”
Lau says Saskatchewan should end Uranium sales, period.
“We may live to regret sending Uranium to a nation, any nation, that could turn around one day and use that Uranium to drop bombs on Canada,” says Lau.
Lau notes that it is irresponsible for Saskatchewan to potentially contribute to the expansion of nuclear weapons or nuclear power in East Asia.
-30-
For more information please contact
Victor Lau at (306)737-5345
Leader of the Green Party of Saskatchewan
For immediate release April 7, 2013
Regina, Saskatchewan – The Green Party of Saskatchewan (GPS) wants to know why the Saskatchewan Party Government and NDP Opposition support exporting Uranium to China.
GPS Leader Victor Lau points out that China is struggling to keep North Korea under control.
“If China is unwilling or unable to keep North Korea under control, how can our citizens be assured that Saskatchewan Uranium exports won’t be used to build nuclear weapons?”
Lau says Saskatchewan should end Uranium sales, period.
“We may live to regret sending Uranium to a nation, any nation, that could turn around one day and use that Uranium to drop bombs on Canada,” says Lau.
Lau notes that it is irresponsible for Saskatchewan to potentially contribute to the expansion of nuclear weapons or nuclear power in East Asia.
-30-
For more information please contact
Victor Lau at (306)737-5345
Leader of the Green Party of Saskatchewan
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Pandas For Uranium: China Uses Pandas As Natural Resource Ba
by Oscar » Sun Nov 24, 2013 4:24 pm
Pandas For Uranium: China Uses Pandas As Natural Resource Bargaining Chips
[ http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/1 ... y-uranium/ ]
By Ari Phillips on November 22, 2013 at 1:01 pm
According to a recent study [ http://journals.cambridge.org/action/di ... id=9051438 ] by Oxford University, China has been giving pandas to nations based on beneficial trade agreements and their willingness to part with crucial natural resources.
According to the researchers, this represents a new phase of a longstanding practice:
Phase 1 during the Mao era (in the 1960s and 1970s) took the form of China gifting pandas to build strategic friendships. Phase 2 followed Deng Xiaoping’s rise to power in 1978 when gifts became gift loans involving a capitalist lease model based on financial transactions. In the emerging phase 3, panda loans are associated with nations supplying China with valuable resources and technology and symbolize China’s willingness to build guanxi—namely, deep trade relationships characterized by trust, reciprocity, loyalty, and longevity.
China sent [ http://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-p ... er-2013-11 ] Pandas to Japan and Australia after major trade agreements and to Canada and France after those countries signed multibillion dollar deals to export large quantities of uranium to China.
“Why has Edinburgh Zoo got pandas when London Zoo hasn’t? Probably because Scotland has natural resources that China wants a stake in,” Dr. Kathleen Buckingham, the lead author on the study, told Business Insider. “Recipient countries need to assess the broader environmental consequences of ‘sealing the deal’ with China before accepting panda loans, as these usually signal that China expects a long-term commitment to deliver the goods — whether they be uranium, salmon, or other natural resources.”
According to [ http://www.canada.com/business/Canada+p ... z2lODGkp4x ] Canada’s PostMedia News, in 2012 Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced China would be loaning Canada two pandas on the same trip that he signed an agreement expanding Canadian uranium exports to China.
“The link between pandas and uranium in this new panda diplomacy appears significant,” the study says. “China is embarking on a major expansion of nuclear power. It has 25 power plants under construction and is planning a five- or sixfold increase in nuclear capacity by 2050. … Moreover, China’s demand for uranium will overtake domestic supply by 2020.”
A 2007 report [ http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007- ... 034856.htm ] shows 239 pandas living in captivity inside China and another 27 outside the country. Wild population estimates vary from about 1,500 up to 2,000.
[ http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/1 ... y-uranium/ ]
By Ari Phillips on November 22, 2013 at 1:01 pm
According to a recent study [ http://journals.cambridge.org/action/di ... id=9051438 ] by Oxford University, China has been giving pandas to nations based on beneficial trade agreements and their willingness to part with crucial natural resources.
According to the researchers, this represents a new phase of a longstanding practice:
Phase 1 during the Mao era (in the 1960s and 1970s) took the form of China gifting pandas to build strategic friendships. Phase 2 followed Deng Xiaoping’s rise to power in 1978 when gifts became gift loans involving a capitalist lease model based on financial transactions. In the emerging phase 3, panda loans are associated with nations supplying China with valuable resources and technology and symbolize China’s willingness to build guanxi—namely, deep trade relationships characterized by trust, reciprocity, loyalty, and longevity.
China sent [ http://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-p ... er-2013-11 ] Pandas to Japan and Australia after major trade agreements and to Canada and France after those countries signed multibillion dollar deals to export large quantities of uranium to China.
“Why has Edinburgh Zoo got pandas when London Zoo hasn’t? Probably because Scotland has natural resources that China wants a stake in,” Dr. Kathleen Buckingham, the lead author on the study, told Business Insider. “Recipient countries need to assess the broader environmental consequences of ‘sealing the deal’ with China before accepting panda loans, as these usually signal that China expects a long-term commitment to deliver the goods — whether they be uranium, salmon, or other natural resources.”
According to [ http://www.canada.com/business/Canada+p ... z2lODGkp4x ] Canada’s PostMedia News, in 2012 Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced China would be loaning Canada two pandas on the same trip that he signed an agreement expanding Canadian uranium exports to China.
“The link between pandas and uranium in this new panda diplomacy appears significant,” the study says. “China is embarking on a major expansion of nuclear power. It has 25 power plants under construction and is planning a five- or sixfold increase in nuclear capacity by 2050. … Moreover, China’s demand for uranium will overtake domestic supply by 2020.”
A 2007 report [ http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007- ... 034856.htm ] shows 239 pandas living in captivity inside China and another 27 outside the country. Wild population estimates vary from about 1,500 up to 2,000.
- Oscar
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Nuclear protocol with China “weak”
by Oscar » Wed Apr 30, 2014 11:43 am
Nuclear protocol with China “weak”
[ http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=18375 ]
April 28, 2014
The Conservative government opened the way in 2012 for a major Canadian uranium mining company to export raw uranium to China by changing longstanding nuclear non-proliferation rules to ones described by the government’s own report as “weak” (Carl Meyer, “Canada knew nuclear deal with China could be seen as ‘weak’: Docs,” Embassy, 16 April 2014):
[ http://www.embassynews.ca/news/2014/04/ ... docs/45423 ]
Lured by the world’s fastest-growing market for uranium, with 28 new reactors under construction in China, and driven by an explicit desire to bolster the “international activities” of Saskatoon-based Cameco Corporation, one of the world’s largest uranium producers, the government agreed in 2012 to alter its nuclear co-operation agreement with its second-largest trading partner.
The new deal, which Cameco says kicked in Jan. 1, 2013, has already seen at least one Canadian uranium concentrate shipment to China, last October.
Nuclear disarmament advocates warn that the Canadian move will establish a precedent for other countries to circumvent international nuclear security standards if and when those standards impede potential sales.
“Commercial interests, as important as they are, must be shaped and constrained by non-proliferation considerations,” said Cesar Jaramillo, program officer for space security and nuclear disarmament for Project Ploughshares.
According to briefing notes prepared for Trade Minister Ed Fast and released to Embassy, Canada’s original position was that nuclear materials transferred to nuclear-weapons states could only be stored in facilities previously placed under International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring.
The briefing notes, however, show the government knew China “wants to process or ‘convert’ Canadian uranium in a conversion facility in China that has NOT been placed on its ‘Voluntary Offer’ Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA.”
The government’s solution was to allow the export to the forbidden sites, as long as China provides “additional reporting to Canada on the uranium.”
The briefing notes present several anticipated questions about the new policy, including one that asks: “the additional verification mechanism comprises only administrative reports to [the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission]. Isn’t this rather weak?”
Jaramillo is worried that we are witnessing a “downward trend” in non-proliferation standards. He questions why the policy does not use more assertive language when discussing the consequences of non-compliance. The notes state that Canada “could” suspend or terminate the deal, rather than making compliance an imperative and establishing a clear trigger for trade suspension.
Shawn-Patrick Stensil, an energy and climate campaigner with Greenpeace Canada, links this deal to another recent nuclear deal with India, another nuclear-armed state.
“We’ve now been moving to selling uranium to markets that have bomb programs, and our non-proliferation policy is dying a death by a thousand cuts” he says.
[ http://www.ceasefire.ca/?p=18375 ]
April 28, 2014
The Conservative government opened the way in 2012 for a major Canadian uranium mining company to export raw uranium to China by changing longstanding nuclear non-proliferation rules to ones described by the government’s own report as “weak” (Carl Meyer, “Canada knew nuclear deal with China could be seen as ‘weak’: Docs,” Embassy, 16 April 2014):
[ http://www.embassynews.ca/news/2014/04/ ... docs/45423 ]
Lured by the world’s fastest-growing market for uranium, with 28 new reactors under construction in China, and driven by an explicit desire to bolster the “international activities” of Saskatoon-based Cameco Corporation, one of the world’s largest uranium producers, the government agreed in 2012 to alter its nuclear co-operation agreement with its second-largest trading partner.
The new deal, which Cameco says kicked in Jan. 1, 2013, has already seen at least one Canadian uranium concentrate shipment to China, last October.
Nuclear disarmament advocates warn that the Canadian move will establish a precedent for other countries to circumvent international nuclear security standards if and when those standards impede potential sales.
“Commercial interests, as important as they are, must be shaped and constrained by non-proliferation considerations,” said Cesar Jaramillo, program officer for space security and nuclear disarmament for Project Ploughshares.
According to briefing notes prepared for Trade Minister Ed Fast and released to Embassy, Canada’s original position was that nuclear materials transferred to nuclear-weapons states could only be stored in facilities previously placed under International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring.
The briefing notes, however, show the government knew China “wants to process or ‘convert’ Canadian uranium in a conversion facility in China that has NOT been placed on its ‘Voluntary Offer’ Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA.”
The government’s solution was to allow the export to the forbidden sites, as long as China provides “additional reporting to Canada on the uranium.”
The briefing notes present several anticipated questions about the new policy, including one that asks: “the additional verification mechanism comprises only administrative reports to [the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission]. Isn’t this rather weak?”
Jaramillo is worried that we are witnessing a “downward trend” in non-proliferation standards. He questions why the policy does not use more assertive language when discussing the consequences of non-compliance. The notes state that Canada “could” suspend or terminate the deal, rather than making compliance an imperative and establishing a clear trigger for trade suspension.
Shawn-Patrick Stensil, an energy and climate campaigner with Greenpeace Canada, links this deal to another recent nuclear deal with India, another nuclear-armed state.
“We’ve now been moving to selling uranium to markets that have bomb programs, and our non-proliferation policy is dying a death by a thousand cuts” he says.
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