Aquino open to nuclear-power plants
‘An Aquino presidency will be open to ‘the idea of nuclear power in general’ but may not necessarily buy the notion of reviving the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) that his mother mothballed in 1986 because of still-unresolved issues, Liberal Party (LP)standard-bearer Sen. Benigno Aquino III said yesterday. In an interview during a break in the LP campaign sortie in Pangasinan at the weekend, Aquino confirmed that he met with his cousin, Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco, who had been pushing for tapping nuclear energy to address the country’s power-supply problem. Cojuangco had strongly been pushing for finally harnessing the BNPP as part of the country’s options for broadening its source of energy. An interagency committee looking into the technical feasibility of tapping the BNP’built during the Marcos regime at an overprice, and subsequently mothballed by Aquino’s mother Corazon when she became president’has not yet given conclusive recommendations on what to do with the BNPP.’

Iran urges Uganda to go nuclear, support its cause at the UN
‘For all the controversy that surrounds its relationship with Iran, Uganda is gaining a lot. For one, it has been accorded a second opinion on national strategic questions like building an oil refinery, and using nuclear energy ‘ both go against the advice from the West. A Cabinet minister who sought anonymity told The EastAfrican that among influential countries in the petroleum industry, it is only Iran that advised Uganda to build an oil refinery, despite many current producers’ opposition to its admission into ‘their’ club. In turn, Iran would get Uganda’s vote ‘ as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council ‘ against another round of nuclear sanctions that the West wants imposed on Iran, and to import uranium from Uganda for enrichment.’

India: land ownership is everything
‘In the Indian states of Orissa, Maharashtra and Karnataka thousands of small farmers are struggling to prevent large companies from taking over their land. Steelmaking giants Mittal and Posco, of South Korea, have been waiting for five years for permission to build steel works in Orissa, in eastern India. In January they threatened to drop their plans. Despite months of negotiations, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India has still not succeeded in purchasing about 1,000 hectares of land at Jaitapur in Maharashtra to build a power station with two Areva reactors. According to a report by the federal government in 2009, about two-thirds of all infrastructure projects are delayed due to problems acquiring land. The delays can last 10 years, costing more than $100bn, according to a study published last year by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India.’

North Korea leader 'likely to visit China in day or two'
‘SEOUL ‘ North Korea's secretive leader Kim Jong-Il is likely to visit China within a day or two, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said Sunday, quoting an unnamed government source. He "has not crossed into China yet, but it appears highly likely that his Chinese trip would come either today or tomorrow as a considerable level of preparations have been done," the source told Yonhap. The news agency gave no further details. Officials at the National Intelligence Service, Seoul's main spy agency, were not immediately available for comment. Kim's trip to China had been widely forecast by South Korean and Japanese media to be around late April, but it did not go ahead as predicted. Seoul's YTN television reported Sunday Kim's trip might have been pushed back due to the heavy outside media exposure and safety concerns.’

Current tariff path sufficient to restart South Africa nuclear build, Areva asserts
‘The rising electricity tariff path outlined for South Africa over the coming years would be sufficient to pay for the Nuclear 1 loan package that has been extended by the French nuclear consortium that is in the running to develop the project, which currently lies idle, Areva South Africa's chairperson Mohamed Madhi asserts. In fact, he tells Engineering News that the consortium and the offer remain mostly intact and stresses that the package, which is largely funded, would not place an unsustainable debt burden on either Eskom, or the South African government, which would probably have to provide some guarantees. French utility EDF has identified South Africa as one of five key markets, outside France, where it is prepared to take an equity position in nuclear programme. The other markets are China, the US, the UK and Italy. It is also supported by French credit insurer Coface. However, Madhi refuses to be drawn on a possible final price tag for the 3 200-MW to 3 500-MW pressurised water reactor-based project, save to say that, over its 80-year life, the cost would be comparable to those of a coal-fired power plant. The key advantage is that the facility will support Eskom's diversification away from carbon-dioxide emitting coal, which currently comprises about 90% of all the utility's production.’