European Affairs

Posted by Mark Resnicoff

Australian uranium exploration company WildHorse Energy Ltd. has agreed to investigate the possibility of restarting uranium mining in southern Hungary. The Mecsek underground mine near Pecs operated between 1956 and 1997, before being shutdown due to low recovery rates. During initial Mecsek operations, approximately 21,000 tons of uranium was produced, with an average recovery of 50-60%.

This interest in restarting mining operations is due to a resurgent interest in nuclear power as a “clean” energy source, which has caused an increased demand for uranium. WildHorse believes it can extract up to 11,600 tons of uranium from the Mecsek Hills area.

WildHorse plans to complete initial technical and economic reviews by the end of September. Discussions will then be held with appropriate government agencies and community groups, after which the agreement can be extended for a more detailed feasibility analysis.

If WildHorse determines that uranium mining in the Mecsek area is an economically viable option, Hungary should reap large financial benefits. Not only can the uranium be used for fuel for domestic nuclear power plants, but it can be sold to other nations as well.

In addition to four exploration areas in the Mecsek vicinity, WildHorse also has exploration permits for the Sudetes mountains in southwestern Poland, an area where twelve uranium mines were developed during Soviet times.

Posted by Mark Resnicoff

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Group, received an order from Belgium’s Electrabel to supply two replacement steam generators for Reactor 1 at the Doel Nuclear Power Plant. The generators are core components of pressurized water reactors (PWR).

Mitsubishi is not new to the nuclear power industry. In 1971, this company built Japan’s first nuclear plant that utilizes pressurized water reactor technology, Mihama-1. In total, MHI has built 23 nuclear power plants in Japan and another currently under construction, due to begin commercial operations in 2009.

This is not Mitsubishi’s first job in Belgium. With the completion of this order in September 2009, MHI will have supplied 10 of 19 steam generators at Belgium’s nuclear power plants. Prior to this order, MHI has placed three steam generators in both units at the Tihange nuclear plant and the last two were delivered to the Doel-2 reactor in 2004.

Mitsubishi has received additional nuclear power equipment orders from the United States and France.

Before researching Belgium’s atomic energy program, I never knew Mitsubishi was involved in the nuclear power industry. Not only have they placed equipment in three different countries, they plan to actively pursue future business opportunities throughout the U.S. and European markets. Obviously, Mitsubishi does a lot more than just build automobiles.

Posted by Mark Resnicoff

Formed in 2007, Zares (For Real) is a new party in Slovenia’s political landscape. The group promises politics done in a new way. A change in the business of politics is always an interesting, if not necessary proposition. The question is, can Zares really implement political change in Slovenia?

The key players in Zares are former members of the Liberal Democratic Party and have therefore played a part in the current direction of Slovenian politics. Zares’ leader and President, Gregor Golobic was the secretary-general of the Liberal Democrats and many people feel he actually ran the party.

Zares’ core members are obviously not new to politics. These men have been involved in Slovenian politics for a long time and advocate a generally old-school liberal agenda. Thinking back to their beginnings in the late 80s and early 90s, Zares’ leaders promised change 20 years ago and are doing so again. They were not successful before, so why should we believe they will achieve change now?

In order to have an opportunity to affect change, the group must be in power. I do not believe the Slovenian public knows enough about this party to allow them much more than a small presence in the government, at least for now.

Still, when people tire of the status quo, change always looks good. Heading into September’s Parliamentary election, polls show Zares solidly in third place. If the polls are correct, it would be a good start for Zares and provide them an opportunity to prove themselves to the public. Who knows, maybe in another election or two Zares will be a legitimate threat to control the government.

Posted by Mark Resnicoff

The obvious reason for Austria’s upcoming September pre-term election is the failure of the “grand coalition” between the conservative Austrian People’s Party and the Social Democrats.

This marriage was bound to collapse ever since the Social Democrats narrowly defeated the incumbent People’s Party in the last election. The conservatives were never accepting of the election results and have been accused of trying to hinder the new government’s work. The final straw that broke the alliance was the Social Democrats sudden policy change, calling for referendums on all future changes to European Union treaties.

Another issue giving rise to the election is internal strife within the Social Democratic Party itself. Current Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer has been accused by his party of being weak, having no direction and allowing the People’s Party to control most key ministries including interior, finance and foreign affairs. Gusenbauer has already stated he will not seek re-election and is supporting party leader Werner Faymann for the position.

While opinion polls show the People’s Party with a narrow lead heading into the election, both the conservatives and the Social Democrats have lost popularity due to the former coalition’s problems. There is no doubt they will continue to exert influence and lead the government, but lesser parties will now be able to exercise more important roles in setting domestic and foreign policy.

Posted by Mark Resnicoff

On July 11, 2008, a fire broke out on the roof of a turbine hall at Sweden’s Ringhals nuclear power plant on the county’s west coast. The blaze started when roofers accidently set fire to roofing materials with gas-fueled torches. The fire on the roof of the Ringhals-2 turbine hall was quickly extinguished by the facility’s internal fire brigade.

Evacuations were not necessary and no reactors were in danger. The closest reactor was in a neighboring building, but is protected by a meter-thick cement wall.

The plant’s automatic alarm was triggered after smoke entered the turbine facility’s ventilation system and set off external alarms.

The Ringhals Plant is the largest nuclear facility in the Nordic region and its four reactors produce approximately 20% of all Sweden’s electricity.

While this incident truly posed no threat of a nuclear disaster, it is a clear reminder that accidents can occur at atomic power plants. These potential accidents can occur not only due to design flaws or operator error, but also from outside sources. These outside factors are another reason why I am concerned about the continued use of nuclear power.

References

“Fire at nuclear power plant.” News Limited. July 11, 2008.

“UPDATE 1-Fire at Swedish nuclear plant, reactor safe.” Reuters. July 11, 2008.

Posted by Mark Resnicoff

Kosovo’s declaration of independence in February 2008 caused immediate and drastic changes within the Serbian government. Parliamentary lawmakers could not agree on a course of action regarding Kosovo’s announcement, forcing President Boris Tadic to dissolve Parliament in March.

However, the changes were not limited to Parliament. Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica resigned on March 8 following the collapse of his Democratic Party’s ruling coalition with two other political groups. Two weeks before his resignation, Kostunica demanded the United States rescind its recognition of Kosovo as an independent state.

Serbia’s May parliamentary election did not produce a majority party or coalition. Frantic talks commenced between rival factions, but it took two months for President Tadic’s Coalition for a European Serbia to join forces with the Socialist Party to form a ruling majority. With a coalition in place, Mirko Cvetkovic was finally sworn in as the country’s new Prime Minister on July 7.

Like Kostunica, Cvetkovic does not accept Kosovo’s declared independence. Most lawmakers in Serbia’s government may disapprove of Kosovo as an independent nation, but it is time for them to get over it and move on to more important issues.

Kosovo’s declaration was certainly no surprise to anyone, and disapproval from Serbia’s government will not change anything. Nationalists may become upset, but the country needs to spend time working on other problems instead of chasing a pipe dream.

Posted by Mark Resnicoff

In 2006, the citizens of Montenegro narrowly chose independence over remaining part of a larger country with neighboring Serbia. Two years later, the country faces many challenges, but everything is under their own control.

Looking back in history, Montenegro was the only country to lose its independence during World War I. Annexed by Serbia, the country was integrated into Yugoslavia in 1929. Following occupation in World War II, the country suffered through a continuous decline under Yugoslavia’s communist leadership, which lasted until Josef Tito’s death in 1980.

Following the fall of Yugoslavia, Montenegro’s strong ties with Serbia caused it to share in the horrors of Slobodan Milosevic’s regime. Though the country was spared most of the area’s violence in the 1990’s, Montenegro did suffer bomb damage from a NATO attack on Plav.

Now independent, Montenegro is a country full of energy and change. Investment, especially in the coastal resorts, has provided hope for greatly increased tourism. Crime has remained remarkably low, though this could be a lasting affect from the manner in which criminals were treated under the Yugoslav regime. Corruption however, is a problem that still persists.

Currently, the country is trying to decide whether to increase ties with Russia or join the European Union. Whatever the decision, at least Montenegro now controls its own destiny.

Posted by Mark Resnicoff

Since assuming office as President of the Russian Federation in May, Dmitry Medvedev has been positioning himself as having a gentler style and rhetoric than his predecessor, Vladimir Putin.

World leaders, however, should not get too complacent with Medvedev’s appeal. Speaking about Medvedev’s softer approach, Masha Lipman, a political analyst at the Carnegie Moscow Center, recently noted the “... essence of Russian foreign policy remains the same.”

Last week, Medvedev himself stated, “Politicians are people, and they should have their own tone and their own style. But that does not change the basic tenets of policy.”

Many people continue to wonder if Putin is still running the country from his new position as Prime Minister. I’m sure Putin maintains quite a bit of influence, but Medvedev appears to support virtually all the former President’s policies.

Medvedev may seem more accessible, but has the ability to be confrontational, following directly in Putin’s footsteps. For example, he has sharply criticized the United States regarding recent turmoil in world financial markets, noting the troubles began with the collapse of the US housing market.

Medvedev may seem to be easier to deal with, but he will do whatever he thinks is right for his country. The face of Russia’s government may have changed, but its policies remain the same.

Reference

Wiseman, Paul. “Medvedev steps into spotlight.” USA Today. July 2, 2008.

Posted by Mark Resnicoff

The European Union continues its effort to decrease carbon dioxide emissions throughout the continent. Nuclear energy is considered a source that already makes a substantial contribution to the EU policy of a continuous supply of low-carbon, cost-effective power. Currently supplying 30% of Europe's electricity, nuclear power contributes to stabilized energy prices due to its ratio of primary investment costs to fuel costs.

However, the European public has concerns about nuclear power, focusing on waste disposal, particularly high-level radioactive waste. Proposed solutions include the use of deep geologic depositories, but the first operational facilities are at least a decade away. Finland is currently building such a facility in Eurajoki, near the Olkiluoto nuclear plant, but it will not be ready for use until 2020. Germany is also planning to build a deep geologic disposal site at the Gorsleben salt dome in Lower Saxony, but it will not be operational until at least 2025.

Recent studies have shown Europe only needs a handful of long-term storage facilities for nuclear waste. While this is good news for individual countries, it raises another safety concern. How can this high-level radioactive waste be safely transported across borders? Can you imagine the dangers of a truck with highly contaminated waste products overturning on a highway? I assume that not only would special trucks have to be built for transportation purposes, but new roads as well. I don't believe most people would be happy driving down the highway with one of these trucks nearby.

Europe still has a long way to go before safely achieving long-term radioactive waste disposal. At least the EU and member states are continually moving forward in their pursuit of this goal.

Posted by Mark Resnicoff

Dutch Economics Minister Maria van der Hoeven believes the Netherlands will be unable to meet its future carbon dioxide emissions targets without nuclear power. Van der Hoeven recently said, "We are very gas dependent and we have to do something about it. In my opinion, it will be very difficult to achieve a clean energy household in 2050 without nuclear energy."

With only one operational nuclear power station, the majority of the country’s energy supplies comes from natural gas. The Netherlands cannot continue this trend as their domestic natural gas reserves are dwindling.

The Netherlands is not alone in their concerns to meet future greenhouse gas targets. Many European countries are also concerned about this issue. Harnessing wind is an alternative, but nuclear plants can easily produce more energy.

Worldwide complacency is the true cause of today's energy problems. Oil, coal and natural gas have been standard sources for a long time. Nuclear power has gained acceptance over the past 40-50 years, though it still needs to overcome fears caused by accidents such as Chernobyl and Three Mile Island.

It is too late to avoid rising energy prices, but now is the time to begin new research efforts for viable alternate energy sources.

Reference

Steen, Michael. "Dutch to weigh up benefits of nuclear power." Financial Times. May 19, 2008.