Australia signs nuclear waste deal with Argentina

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@EARTHLINK.NET>]

Index:



Australia signs nuclear waste deal with Argentina

Vets Urged to Get Radiation Care

Canadian uranium giant eyes U.S. expansion

Jacobs and AWS Awarded Waste Management Contract at Rocky Flats

BTG Signs Commercialisation Agreement With Leading US Laborator

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Australia signs nuclear waste deal with Argentina

  

CANBERRA, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Australia and Argentina signed a nuclear 

energy treaty paving the way for Australian nuclear waste to be 

shipped and processed in the South American country, officials said 

on Wednesday. 



Officials said the treaty allows cooperation in nuclear research and 

followed the award of a contract to Argentine firm INVEP SE to build 

a replacement to Australia's ageing research reactor at Lucas Heights 

in Sydney. 



It was signed in Canberra by Argentine Foreign Minister Adalberto 

Rodriguez Giavarini and his Australian counterpart Alexander Downer. 



"The treaty enables the transfer of spent fuel to Argentina if that 

is required," a spokesman for Downer told Reuters. 



"The waste can also later be returned to Australia in the form of 

waste that is suitable for permanent storage." 



Australia presently sends spent fuel to France for reprocessing, but 

under the treaty Argentina will take on the spent uranium if France 

is unable to do so. 



Environmentalists in April won an injunction, later overturned, 

preventing French state-owned nuclear reprocessing company Cogema 

from unloading 360 spent nuclear rods in Cherbourg. 



The injunction placed doubt over the future of Australia's new 

reactor. 

----------------



Vets Urged to Get Radiation Care



WASHINGTON (AP) - Thousands of veterans exposed to cancer-causing 

radiation during atomic tests conducted decades ago could find it 

easier to get compensation under a new regulation aimed at giving 

them the same treatment as civilians. 



The Department of Veterans Affairs is to publish Wednesday in the 

Federal Register a proposed rule covering vets who were stricken with 

cancers of the lungs, colon, bone, ovary, and brain and central 

nervous system and who were present at certain atomic bomb exercises, 

served at Hiroshima and Nagasaki during post-World War II occupation 

in Japan or were prisoners of war in Japan. 



So-called 'atomic vets' already receive compensation for 16 types of 

cancer, including leukemia, thyroid, breast, stomach, liver and 

esophagus. 



The new regulation adds the five new diseases and expands places they 

may have been exposed to make their benefits comparable to what 

civilians have been receiving since last summer, said Veterans 

affairs spokesman Jim Benson. 



The five illnesses are being added to veteran affair's so-called 

presumptive list - meaning if a veteran is found to have the disease 

and the veteran served in those locations, it is presumed the illness 

is related to service time. 



``It's a perfect example of justice denied way too long,'' said Sen. 

Paul Wellstone, a Minnesota Democrat who pushed to extend the 

benefits. 



Officials expect to receive some 92,000 claims from surviving vets 

and 48,000 from dependents. They have estimated the cost of the 

program over 10 years at $769 million. 



Last year, Congress made it easier for more civilian employees to get 

payments from exposure in Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Tennessee, Alaska 

and other sites. The proposed regulation would extend that to 

veterans. 



Publishing the regulation opens a 60-day comment period after which 

officials could incorporate comments or amend the rule. It is then 

subject to another 90-day comment period before becoming final. 

----------------



Canadian uranium giant eyes U.S. expansion



TORONTO, Aug 8 (Reuters) - The fast changing business of nuclear 

power has Canada's Cameco Corp. <CCO.TO>, the world's biggest 

supplier of uranium, eyeing unused nuclear plants in the energy-

strapped United States, Chief Executive Bernard Michel said. 



Speaking to Reuters in a recent interview, Michel said Cameco was 

looking at the possibility of investing in idled reactors or 

completing unfinished facilities. But he would not say if the company 

was already in talks on a deal. 



Saskatoon-based Cameco has already made a foray into nuclear energy 

production in Canada, buying a 15 percent stake in the Bruce Power 

plants in Ontario, where the provincial government plans to 

deregulate the electricity market by 2002. 



With partner British Energy Plc <BGY.L>, it is to restart two 

reactors at Bruce by 2003 that will add to four already in production 

and boost capacity by 50 percent. Cameco will supply all fuel to the 

plants. 



"For the time being we do not believe that beyond Bruce Power there 

would be any opportunity in Canada, but there will be opportunities 

in the United States and this would be where we'd focus our 

attention," Michel said. 



He said some players had accused Cameco of competing with its own 

clients, but stressed that opportunities like Bruce did not come too 

often so close to home. 



But Cameco would not stray far from its core business as a major 

supplier of uranium, he added. Its products provide fuel for 

commercial reactors around the world, with its biggest markets in the 

United States and Asia. 



Cameco supplies about 20 percent of the Western world's uranium needs 

from three mines and milling operations in the Canadian province of 

Saskatchewan and two in the U.S. It is one of three firms that 

convert uranium concentrates to uranium haxafluoride, an intermediate 

product. 



Cameco also has a 13-year deal with Russia to resell 45 percent of 

uranium from Russia's nuclear weapons dismantlement program. It as an 

exclusive agreement with Urenco Ltd, a European enricher, to 

reprocess its tailings. 



The company's total output of around 19 million pounds of uranium a 

year can fuel over 40 reactors. An average 1,000 megawatt reactor 

consumes about 425,000 pounds uranium a year. 



Cameco interest in the U.S. market was boosted by a stress on nuclear 

power in U.S. President George W. Bush's new energy policy. Several 

U.S. utilities are extending the life of reactors or upgrading them 

to generate more power. There are an estimated 103 operating nuclear 

power reactors in the U.S. 



Two operators are already reviewing the idea of completing partially 

constructed reactors. Another two intend to apply for new nuclear 

plant siting permits within a year, Cameco says. 



Michel sees U.S. commercial nuclear power capacity growing between 

10,000 and 50,000 megawatts over the next 20 years. 



He said nuclear power was making a comeback as a cheaper, cleaner and 

more predictable way to generate electricity than coal, oil or gas. 

It was the fastest growing source of electricity in the world, with 

438 reactors in 31 countries and an additional 44 under construction, 

he added. 



Michel said Cameco was in a unique position to benefit from these 

developments as uranium supplies were already tightening. That helped 

to push the spot price of uranium up by more than 20 percent this 

year to around $8.90/lb, although that is still well below 1996 

prices of $15/lb. 



Michel said prices had risen as utilities reduced inventory levels 

and returned to the market, and demand for secondary uranium was 

perking up. Consumption is also seen growing with reactors operating 

better than before, he said. 



The company does not trade uranium on the spot market, but contracts 

are closely tied to the spot price. 



But Michel new nuclear power programs would not boost demand for 

uranium until 2005. "It takes quite a while to initiate new nuclear 

programs," he said. 



He expected Cameco's uranium output to double in a decade once the 

company develops its Cigar Lake deposit in Saskatchewan, in which it 

has a 50 percent controlling stake. 



Michel said developing the massive deposit, with 115 million pounds 

of proven and probable reserves, was on hold until 2005 assuming 

uranium prices improve by at least 50 percent. Construction may be 

delayed for one or two years until prices recover. 



Cameco's prized McArthur mine, also in Saskatchewan, should produce 

18 million pounds a year by 2002. McArthur reached commercial 

production in 2000 and contains the world's largest high-grade 

deposit, with ore grades 50 times the world average. Its proven and 

probable reserves are about 275 million pounds. 

-----------------



Jacobs and AWS Awarded Waste Management Contract at Rocky Flats



PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 8, 2001--Jacobs Engineering 

Group Inc. (NYSE:JEC) announced today that Jacobs and Accelerated 

Waste Solutions, LLC (AWS) were selected by Kaiser-Hill Company for a 

waste management professional and operational services contract at 

the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Rocky Flats Environmental 

Technology Site. Kaiser-Hill is DOE's managing contractor at Rocky 

Flats. Jacobs is a major subcontractor to AWS and Roy F. Weston, Inc. 

is the majority owner of AWS. 



Officials estimate Jacobs' share on this $95 million 5-year contract 

at $24 million. 



Jacobs will provide engineering; facility operations; waste 

certification and quality assurance; and environmental, safety, and 

health services for low-level radioactive and transuranic waste 

handling, packaging, certification, and shipment. 



In making the announcement, Jacobs Group Vice President Jim Thiesing 

stated, "Successful execution of these critical waste management 

functions is essential to the safe, timely clean-up and closure of 

the Rocky Flats site. We remain committed to the Rocky Flats closure 

vision, and we are proud that Kaiser-Hill has selected the AWS/Jacobs 

team for this work." 



The new contract scope is in addition to facilities maintenance and 

site support services provided by Jacobs to Kaiser-Hill since 1998 

through its wholly-owned subsidiary Rocky Flats Closure Site 

Services, LLC. That contract has options that run until mid-2003. 



Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. is one of the world's largest providers 

of professional technical services. With more than 20,000 home office 

employees, the company offers full-spectrum support to industrial, 

commercial, and government clients in diverse markets. Services 

include scientific and specialty consulting as well as all aspects of 

design, construction, and operations & maintenance. 

-----------------



BTG Signs Commercialisation Agreement With Leading US Laborator

  

WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- BTG (London: BGC), the 

global technology commercialization company, today announced a 

Technology Commercialization Agreement with the Brookhaven National 

Laboratory under which BTG will participate in Brookhaven's program 

to commercialize technologies developed in its life sciences and 

physical sciences departments. 



The agreement permits Brookhaven to submit technologies to BTG for 

commercialisation efforts.  For those technologies selected by BTG 

for commercialisation, BTG will provide expertise in the fields of 

technology vision and how best to develop and optimise commercially-

viable technologies. 



Brookhaven National Laboratory is one of the leading 

multidisciplinary research laboratories of the US Department of 

Energy (DOE) and is dedicated to basic and applied, non-weapons 

related, scientific research.  For over fifty years, it has been 

recognized for its outstanding scientific achievement and many of the 

laboratory's research staff have pioneered in the fields of nuclear 

reactor technology, high-energy and nuclear physics, nuclear 

medicine, medical imaging, environmental monitoring and remediation, 

and new materials development. Research undertaken at Brookhaven 

produced four Nobel Prizes in the field of high energy, particle 

physics: the Parity Violation in 1957, the discovery of the J/psi 

particle in 1976, the CP Violation in 1980 and the discovery of the 

muon-neutrino in 1988. 



Commenting on the agreement, Ian Harvey, BTG's Chief Executive 

Officer, said: "Brookhaven National Laboratory has an outstanding 

reputation for research work and developing technologies. Through 

this agreement, BTG will provide additional expertise; resources and 

commercial focus to Brookhaven to foster commercialization of 

innovations, helping to ensure these technologies realize their full 

potential.  This agreement is a significant step for BTG in 

developing our presence in the US research environment." 



Dr. John Marburger, Director of Brookhaven National Laboratory, 

commented: "With BTG's expertise, we believe we can now bring to 

market more innovations. Continuing research at Brookhaven ensures 

that the Laboratory will keep its status as a worldwide leader in the 

research and development of life and physical science technologies.  

BTG's participation in Brookhaven's technology transfer program 

enhances the commercialization efforts for those Brookhaven-developed 

technologies with commercial potential." 



Recently, President George W. Bush announced his intention to 

nominate Dr. John Marburger to become the Chief Adviser for Science 

and Technology and with this he will become Director of the Office of 

Science and Technology Policy. 



BTG's business is finding, developing and commercializing 

technologies that will shape the markets of tomorrow.  Our 

technologies begin with innovation in a particular scientific or 

technical discipline.  Those technologies will be protected by a 

strong portfolio of intellectual property. BTG creates value by 

investing in further technical development and enhancing the scope of 

the intellectual property.  Finally, BTG captures value by either 

licensing the rights to the technology or by developing new business 

ventures. We return significant value to our sources of technology, 

our business partners and our shareholders.  With headquarters in 

London and offices in Philadelphia and Tokyo, BTG capitalises on a 

global network of contacts in companies, universities and research 

institutions to identify and commercialize the most promising 

technologies.  Since being founded in 1949, BTG has commercialized 

such major innovations as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 

Interferon and wide-spectrum cephalosporin antibiotics.  BTG is 

quoted on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol "BGC".  BTG's 

website, www.btgplc.com, includes information about our business and 

recent press releases.  In the US and UK, BTG operates through wholly-

owned subsidiaries, BTG International Inc. and BTG International 

Ltd., respectively. 



Brookhaven National Laboratory is one of the US Department of 

Energy's (DOE) multidisciplinary research laboratories, and is 

dedicated to basic, non-defence scientific research.  Brookhaven is 

operated by Brookhaven Science Associates, LLC, a not-for-profit 

research company managed by the Battelle Memorial Institute and the 

Research Foundation of the State University of New York on behalf of 

the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Approximately 3,000 

people work at BNL and more than 4,000 others visit each year for 

days, weeks or months to perform scientific research or to attend 

conferences. Brookhaven National Laboratory has world-class research 

facilities and scientific departments, which attract leading 

scientists in various sectors.  For further information, please visit 

www.bnl.gov.



------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	

Director, Technical				Extension 2306 				     	

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service		Fax:(714) 668-3149 	                   		    

ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc.			E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 				                           

ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue  		E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com          	          

Costa Mesa, CA 92626                    



Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/scperle

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com



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