The News: Pakistan-France working group on nuclear cooperation to be formed
’ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday urged the need for chalking out a roadmap for pragmatic cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy with France. The call came during meetings of Admiral Edouard Guillaud, Adviser to President Sarkozy of France, with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. In his meeting with President Zardari, Admiral Edouard Guillaud discussed matters relating to Pak-France cooperation in different areas, the Friends of Pakistan initiative, the rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons and the drive against militants. Admiral Guillaud’s visit to Pakistan is part of efforts aimed at further boosting the Pak-French relations in the wake of Zardari-Sarkozy meetings in May last, spokesperson to President and former senator Farhatullah Babar said. He said during President Zardari’s recent visit to France, it was decided to enhance and explore new areas of cooperation in the fields of energy, including civilian nuclear power plants for peaceful purposes, trade, civil aviation and defence.’

The Blackpool Gazette: Nuclear site safety probe jobs worry
’A DECISION on Fylde's nuclear ambitions could be delayed because of safety concerns around a rival bidder's designs. Toshiba Westinghouse, owner of Springfields, is in the running to build the reactor for the UK's new-build nuclear power station. But the Health and Safety Executive has not yet started examining the company's designs because of safety concerns around another firm's proposals. Rival bidder, French company Areva and EDF, has received confirmation from the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) of concerns about the technology being used for the four reactors it wants to build across the country. And the Health and Safety Executive, which oversees the NII, said the design could be rejected for use in the UK if its concerns could not be addressed.’

Houston Chronicle: Exelon raises hostile bid for NRG to $8 billion
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Exelon Corp. on Thursday sweetened its hostile takeover bid for NRG Energy Inc. by 12 percent to $8 billion in stock, citing newly identified cost savings along with NRG's recent deal for Reliant Energy's Texas retail business. Exelon Chairman and CEO John Rowe called it a "best and final offer." The new bid ups the price for NRG by about $1 billion. "Together the two company's shareholders get something very rare, a truly effective combination in an industry in which significant profitable growth is very hard to come by," Rowe said in a conference call. NRG, which rejected Exelon's previous bid, said it would review the latest offer. If NRG combines with Chicago-based Exelon, the new company would be the largest U.S. power generator, providing energy to about 45 million homes. Exelon is already the nation's largest nuclear power company.’

Reuters: Areva could buy renewable, mining assets
’PARIS, July 2 (Reuters) - French state-owned nuclear reactor maker Areva could look at buying mining or renewable energy assets, its CEO Anne Lauvergeon said on France's Radio Classique on Thursday. Lauvergeon also said she could envisage existing partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, or financial investors including sovereign wealth funds, for example in the Gulf, participating in the capital raising it announced on June 30. But electricity providers -- Areva's customers -- or suppliers, would not be among the groups taking a stake, Lauvergeon said. Lauvergeon said she believed the group should remain open to acquisition opportunities that exist in the mining sector, as the group needs more uranium.’

Reuters: Row over nuclear fuel bank awaits new IAEA chief
’VIENNA (Reuters) - Whoever becomes head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog later this year will have to tackle a deep political divide over a nuclear fuel supply plan aimed at keeping the world safe from the spread of atomic weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) holds a vote on Thursday to try to pick a successor to director-general Mohamed ElBaradei, who will retire in November without realising his vision of a safe nuclear fuel supply for all. The issue will test his successor's diplomatic mettle but who that will be is also up in the air, with industrialised and developed nations at odds over the best candidate. On the backburner for decades, the fuel bank has been given a strong boost U.S. President Barack Obama, and got further impetus from Iran's expanding enrichment programme which the West suspects is aimed at yielding atom bombs. The IAEA forecasts that demand for nuclear energy, most visible so far in countries across the conflict-ridden Middle East, will almost double over the next generation as nations seek an alternative to high-polluting and finite fossil fuels. But the uranium used in nuclear power plants can also be enriched to high levels to form the fissile core of atom bombs -- something the West fears Iran could be pursuing but Tehran denies, saying its programme is intended only for electricity.’