Nuclear power in Europe

London, 10 April: Insurer Aon Corporation has warned that the UK's plan for a nuclear power renaissance must take into account risks of interruptions to the supply of uranium fuel.

The UK government is easing planning restrictions, in a bid to encourage private companies to build a new generation of nuclear power plants to help replace the existing, aging fleet of reactors. At a speech on 26 March, UK Business Secretary John Hutton called this new push for nuclear "the most significant opportunity for our energy economy since the exploitation of North Sea oil and gas".

YEREVAN, March 6 (RIA Novosti) - The Armenian government authorized on Thursday the establishment of a joint venture with Russia for the additional prospecting of uranium deposits in the South Caucasus republic.

Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom and the Armenian environmental ministry agreed in February to set up a joint venture on a parity basis for the additional prospecting of Armenian uranium, which will be enriched in a specialized international center in Angarsk, East Siberia.

By Galina Stolyarova, the St. Petersburg Times

As 2,000 tons of radioactive cargo arrived at St. Petersburg’s port from Germany on Thursday, environmental groups took to the streets to inform city residents about the growing imports of nuclear materials and the dangers the trade imposes.

The MV Schouwenbank cargo ship, carrying containers with a total of 2,000 tons of depleted uranium hexafluoride, came from the Gronau uranium enrichment facility that belongs to Urenco Deutschland. The radioactive load on board the ship is due to be sent by rail to the town of Novouralsk in Siberia for reprocessing and storage.

By Matthew Green in Nairobi

Areva, the French nuclear company, has secured a key source of uranium needed to supply its global expansion plans with a deal to open a new mine in Niger.