February 7, 2012  Print Email | Russia urges Australia to open uranium sales
Has 11 new nuclear reactors to stoke
Posted by Agencies at 09:31 AM GMT on Mar 17, 2009 | CANBERRA (Reuters): The head of Russia's upper house of parliament today urged Australia to clear the way for uranium exports to Russia to help meet its growing demand for nuclear energy.
Russia is planning 11 new nuclear reactors capable of generating 10GW of electricity by 2020 as it replaces ageing models. Australia holds 40 per cent of the world's known uranium reserves.
The two countries signed an agreement to expand uranium sales in late 2007, but Australia's centre-left Labour government has put the deal on hold due to concerns Moscow might not honour its non-proliferation obligations.
Sergei Mironov, chairman of the Council of Federation of the Russian Federal Assembly, said uranium sales would be in the best interests of both countries. "I believe there is no alternative to this cooperation," Mironov said through an interpreter while on a visit to Australia's parliament. "It is fruitful for both Russia and Australia."
Australia, the world's second biggest uranium supplier after Canada, only sells uranium for nuclear energy and only to countries which have signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. With no nuclear power or nuclear weapons itself, it also demands countries sign a bilateral nuclear safeguards agreement on the use of uranium before it will allow the nuclear fuel to be exported.
Australia's parliamentary Treaties committee, which is dominated by government members, last September said Russia's military incursion into Georgia last year should also be considered before Australia allows uranium sales to Russia.
It said Russia needed to clearly prove it could separate its civilian and military nuclear facilities, and allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to carry out inspections.
The Australian government's commodities forecaster the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics earlier this month said it expected Australia would export 10,740 tonnes of uranium in the year to 30 June 2010.
Australia's uranium industry on Monday said it could lift output by about 20 per cent in three years as the nation gears up for its first major expansion of uranium mining in a decade.
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