Bloomberg: Areva to Double Output by 2012; Prices to Set Future Expansion
’June 23 (Bloomberg) -- Areva SA, the world's third-largest miner of uranium, aims to almost double production within three years by increasing output in Namibia and Kazakhstan to help plug a future global supply deficit of the nuclear fuel. The company, which produced 6,300 metric tons of uranium last year, forecast output of 7,500 tons this year and 12,000 tons in three years' time, Sebastien de Montessus, director of Paris-based Areva's mining business unit, said yesterday in a phone interview. Further expansion beyond 2012, particularly in Niger, depends on prices, he said. Uranium for immediate delivery has risen to $55 a pound from this year's low of $40.50 in mid-April and remains 60 percent below its June 2007 peak, according to Denver-based pricing service TradeTech LLC.’

Huffington Post: Internal Memo: Nuclear Power Company Could Make A Billion A Year From Climate Change Law
’Exelon, the nation's largest nuclear power company, stands to rake in roughly an extra $1 billion to $1.5 billion a year if the House climate change bill passes, according to the company's own estimates. The House is expected to vote on the bill on Friday. A memo produced for Exelon by Bernstein Research, and obtained by the Huffington Post, reports that Exelon CEO John Rowe recently told a gathering of investors and senior executives that the energy bill "will add $700 to $750 million to Exelon's annual revenues for every $10 per metric ton (MT) increase in the price of CO2 allowances." Prices will range between $15 and $18 per metric ton, the report estimates, "implying a positive earnings impact of $1 to $1.30 per share."

Nuclear N-Former: Nuclear construction begins in China
’Work to build a new reactor at Fuqing, China, has been officially launched - three months ahead of schedule. Construction at various stages is now ongoing for six units at the site. A ceremony was held last week at which a range of dignitaries commended the speed at which developments are coming. Fuqing is to be a six-reactor plant, based on CPR-1000 pressurized water reactors, which can now be built almost completely from the Chinese supply chain. One unit is already under construction at the site, having started in November last year. Unit two officially joined it to the sound of a gun salute on 17 June. They should enter operation in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Preliminary permission was granted for the other four units in April by the National Development and Reform Commission with ground was broken for units 3 and 4 early this month, and excavation for units 5 and 6 already about 30% complete. The overall 6000 MWe project is expected to cost 100 billion yuan ($14.7 billion).’

Nuclear N-Former: Britain and Jordan inks nuclear pact
’Britain and Jordan signed a nuclear cooperation pact here Monday, with Foreign Secretary David Miliband hailing the country's "transparent" approach to developing nuclear energy. Miliband inked the deal with Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh in the sidelines of a visit by King Abdullah II, saying Britain was committed to helping the energy-poor Arab country develop its civil nuclear programme. "If we are to move the world to a low-carbon economy, then nuclear power needs to be an important part of the energy mix," Miliband said after the signing, while Prime Minister Gordon Brown met the Jordanian monarch.’

BelTA: Experts consider agreement on construction of Belarusian nuclear power plant
’MINSK, June 23 (BelTA) - The draft agreement on construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant is being considered now, Vladimir Vysotsky, head of the sci-tech policy and regulatory department of the Energy Ministry told the national seminar dedicated to the construction of the nuclear power plant. According to Vladimir Vysotsky, in Q3 this year, the governments of Belarus and Russia are expected to sign the agreement on cooperation in construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. The capacity of each power units will make up 1200MW. The draft agreement has been already developed. Experts are considering it now.’

Knoxnews.com: WesDyne/NFS gets $209M contract to downblend HEU
’Under a contract announced today, a team of WesDyne International (a division of Westinghouse) and Nuclear Fuel Services (a subsidiary of Babcock & Wilcox) will downblend 12.1 metric tons of highly enriched uranium and store the downblended material until needed. Steven Wyatt, a spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration, confirmed that the "majority" of the HEU is currently housed at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge. The NNSA announced that the $209 million contract includes the downblending of the weapons-usable material to create about 220 metric tons of low-enriched uranium. The downblending will take place at the NFS facilities at Erwin, Tenn.. "The resulting LEU will have a market value of
more than $400 million," the NNSA announcement said. The work is expected to begin later this year and be completed in 2012, the federal agency said.’