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There is very little density difference between saturated LNG and super cooler LNG but none the less it can become stratified in a storage tank. If there is any action such as adding more LNG to the tank, these strata can move and essentially flip releasing a great deal of LNG vapors. I believe the site below gives more information on the subject.

Technorati Tags: gorgon lng project, lng storage tanks

Oregon land use board rejects Bradwood Landing LNG terminal …

Ive also seen the NO LNG PIPELINES in the willamette valley in prime farmland. Does anybody realize that this out of state company intends to use emminent domain to cut a statewide swath from astoria through the heart of the coast range …

Post the General Election, the next government will have to …

Thanks to the West's recession, US shale gas discoveries and a consequent LNG supply surge, there's no denying that there is a global gas glut at the moment. Yet as it is not yet a truly fungible commodity, it's a very long way from …

Ferry Ferry LNG? « Small solutions go global

For decades LNG is being used as fuel and energy storage for small-scale industrial “onshore” applications, e.g. steam boiler and power plants, successfully replacing heavy fuel oils, which contribute majorly to increasing CO2, NOx and …

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I would like to start boycotting some countries if they provide gas to certain gas stations. I use Valeo, Shell, Getty, Exxon, etc. If anyone can provide a listing. For instance, I am boycotting Citco, because that comes from Venezella.

Technorati Tags: exxon lng, natural gas liquefaction, no lng

Actually the list is probably a lot shorter then you think. By the time you figure who owns who there are not that many!

example: Pennzoil owned Quaker State then Shell Oil bought them out, Shell Oil also aquired Texaco who also owned Chevron and Havoline Oil. Shell also owns Rotella T which is a big name in oil for over the road trucks. Ashland Inc. owns Valvoline and Eagle One (this company makes car care products). Kendall Oil is owned by Conoco-Phillips which in turn make Conoco, Phillips 66, Kendall and 76 brands.

The list of who owns who goes on and on!

The other guy posted that big alphabetical list and I would say more then half of those do not exist anymore.
Atlantic Petroleum for example is a company that has went many routes over the years to expand, at one time they merged with Richfield Oil making Atlantic-Richfield Oil (Some people might remember this one as ARCO) they also owned AM/PM mini markets, over the years most of their assets have been sold or bought out (one of those was Sinclair Oil – also on that list). Most of Atlantic has been bought up by Pennzoil and Sunoco. The old AM/PM mini markets are now known as A-Plus mini markets that are owned by Sunoco.
BP Worldwide owns BP and Amoco. So, there really are not that many Oil Companies once you figure who bought out this one or that one.

Country 94 News: Commissioning of Third Tank Underway

(Shot of LNG Site in Red Head) (File Photo) Canaport LNG has begun commissioning the third LNG storage tank. This means flaring will happen and be visible from some vantage points within Saint John over the next two weeks. …

zouni.blogr.com – stories – 2010-04-16-Pumpable-ice-technology

This mixture of different ice concentrations and dimensions (ice crystals can vary from 200 m to 10 mm) is passed by pumps from storage tank to the consumer. The constructions, specifications and applications of the current regular ice makers … Menin B. "Implementation of nergy storage system for home application and small business". http://vk-engineering.com/articles.php?lng=en&pg=6. Retrieved 2009-11-15. ^ "Cooling capacity". http://tristate.apogee.net/cool/cfc.asp. …

MHI to Collaborate with BW Offshore in LNG-FPSO; | Mitsubishi …

Specifically, MHI will take charge of the vessel's hull and LNG storage tank portion and BW Offshore among others will be responsible for the pretreatment and liquefaction facilities and production and mooring solutions. …

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Technorati Tags: bp lng, lng storage tank, lng training

LNG is liquefied to a low temperature to the point where natural gas condenses but what's the difference between CNG and PNG?

UPDATE 1-Gazprom says invited to work on Qatar LNG projects

MM: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Thursday that Qatar has invited it to take part in liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects after 2014, further boosting …   Read More…

Australian LNG Exports May Increase Fivefold to A$50 Billion

Australia is set to become the second-largest exporter of gas converted to liquid form for transportation by ship behind Qatar, he said. …   Read More…

Industries Qatar First-Quarter Profit Falls 14%

Natural gas derivatives such as ethane are used to make petrochemicals. The nation aims to increase its capacity to produce liquefied gas 43 percent this …   Read More…
That’s all the news for today guys, so until next time, thanks for stopping by.

Liquefied Natural Gas law and news on federal regulation …

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts in its Short-Term Energy Outlook that LNG imports to the United States will increase by approximately 0.5 Bcf/d in 2010 over last year. The report also notes that if global LNG …

XE.com – UPDATE 1-S.Korea March LNG, coal imports rise yr/yr

SEOUL, April 15 (Reuters) – South Korea's imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) surged nearly 30 percent year-on-year in March on higher power demand, customs data showed on Thursday. South Korea, the world's second-largest LNG buyer …

China to increase LNG imports, facilities – Oil & Gas Journal

The head of China's National Energy Administration, reiterating earlier remarks, announced plans to construct more LNG terminals, pipelines, and storage facilities in southern Guangdong province as part of an effort to secure greater …

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Technorati Tags: lng imports, png lng project, qatar natural gas

Black Sea LNG accord could 'torpedo' Nabucco gas line

LOS ANGELES, Apr. 14 — Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Romania signed a memorandum of understanding to transport Azeri LNG to the European Union through a project …   Read More…

Praxair Develops Innovative Supply System for Chevron and Total Gas and Power

Supplies of LNG with energy content greater than the allowable maximum can be brought into specification by blending the LNG with nitrogen. …   Read More…

BTMU mandated on Gladstone LNG

The Santos Gladstone project benefits from an offtake agreement with sponsor Petronas to transport liquefied gas to Malaysia for commercial consumption. …   Read More…
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Technorati Tags: lng transport, nigeria natural gas, pluto lng project

It is a very clean, easily combusted gas with little preparation other than Separation from other petroleum products, Filtration and Dehydation.
It is easily distributed and, at the moment, a plentiful source of energy.
It can also be reduced in volume by about 630 times and liquified to LNG for transportation of large quantities anywhere in the world at near atmospheric pressure and, when in transit, the natural boil-off (which keeps it liquid at
-160°C.), is used as fuel for the ship's gas turbines or boilers for steam production to run steam turbines.
This makes its transportation much cheaper.

US Coast Guard Prevention Blog: Efficient, Environmentally …

Ambient air vaporization (AAV) technology uses ambient air as the thermal energy source to vaporize liquefied natural gas. The LNG is distributed through a series of surface heat exchangers, where the air travels down and out the bottom …

How can I get rid of this virus “W32/Brontok.Q.worm”?

IT / Technology / Webdesign Q&A Blog. Just another WordPress weblog. « Why can't I just copy and paste Windows exe files from one computer to another and have them work? Where can I download musical theatre accompaniment tracks online that are … worldcitizenship says: April 16, 2010 at 7:00 am. Found this page. . I hope it is useful http://www. azvirus. com/w32-brontok-m-removal: Read it first. . or try: http://www. grisoft. com/doc/removal/lng/us/tpl/tpl01?uti=Vcleaner …

zouni.blogr.com – stories – 2010-04-16-Pumpable-ice-technology

Menin B. "Implementation of nergy storage system for home application and small business". http://vk-engineering.com/articles.php?lng=en&pg=6. Retrieved 2009-11-15. ^ "Cooling capacity". http://tristate.apogee.net/cool/cfc.asp. …

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Technorati Tags: lng import, lng pipeline, lng technology

Students Join Landowners to Protest Liquefied Natural Gas in …

On Saturday, approximately twenty youth from Oregon's climate and energy justice movement embarked on a 20-mile bicycle ride through the farmland of Yamhill County, to protest high-carbon liquefied natural gas (LNG) development and meet …

US Coast Guard Prevention Blog: Efficient, Environmentally …

Ambient air vaporization (AAV) technology uses ambient air as the thermal energy source to vaporize liquefied natural gas. The LNG is distributed through a series of surface heat exchangers, where the air travels down and out the bottom …

Duo set up West Java LNG venture – Upstream Online

Duo set up West Java LNG venture. Indonesia's state players Pertamina and Perusahaan Gas Negara have formalised a joint venture to operate a floating liquefied natural gas terminal in West Java. News wires 15 April 2010 03:21 GMT …

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PETRONAS, also known as Petroliam Nasional Bhd, is Malaysia’s national petroleum corporation. Since its inception in 1974, PETRONAS has grown rapidly to become an integrated oil and gas company with business interests in 31 countries.
It is wholly-owned by the Malaysian Government and is entrusted with the responsibility of developing the oil and gas resources. The Group is involved in numerous petroleum activities, including:

upstream exploration and production of oil and gas
downstream oil refining
marketing and distribution of petroleum products
trading
gas processing and liquefaction
gas transmission pipeline network operations
marketing of liquefied natural gas
petrochemical manufacturing and marketing
shipping
automotive engineering
property investment

Corporate : : :

Year 2006/07 Highlights

About PETRONAS

PETRONAS, the acronym for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, was incorporated on 17 August 1974 under the Companies Act 1965. It is wholly-owned by the Malaysian government and is vested with the entire ownership and control of the petroleum resources in Malaysia through the Petroleum Development Act 1974, an Act of Parliament.

Over the years, PETRONAS has grown to become a fully-integrated oil and gas corporation and is ranked among FORTUNE Global 500's largest corporations in the world. PETRONAS has four subsidiaries listed on the Bursa Malaysia and has ventured globally into more than 33 countries worldwide in its aspiration to become a leading oil and gas multinational of choice.

Since its inception, PETRONAS' business has grown to encompass the full spectrum of oil and gas operations, both locally and globally, in the areas of upstream oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) to downstream oil refining; marketing and distribution of petroleum products; trading; gas processing and liquefaction; gas transmission pipeline network operations; marketing of liquefied natural gas (LNG); petrochemical manufacturing and marketing; shipping; and property investment.

Address:
Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS)
Tower 1, PETRONAS Twin Towers
Kuala Lumpur City Centre
50088 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

Tel: 603-20515000
Telefax: 603-20265050, 20265055
E-mail: webmaster@petronas.com.my

Class society publishes new rules for offshore units

The new rules are based on experience in helping develop the world's first offshore LNG terminals, both fixed and floating. The Rules for the Classification …   Read More…

Matrix Composites raises $13.5m

"Matrix is well positioned to benefit from strong market fundamentals and has identified a number of opportunities, particularly in the offshore LNG …   Read More…

Ruggiero to host LNG conversation in Jamestown, RI

Hess LNG and Weaver's Cove Energy are proposing to build an offshore LNG loading platform off Fall River in Mount Hope Bay to serve supertankers that would …   Read More…
That’s all the news for today guys, so until next time, thanks for stopping by.

Technorati Tags: liquefied natural gas lng, lng regasification, offshore lng

Wed Apr 14, 4:34 PM

The Maine legislature has lifted a moratorium on the development of energy corridor projects through the state.

The moratorium was put in place last year in part to pressure Canada into allowing tankers carrying liquefied natural gas, known as LNG, through Canadian waters on the way to the Maine coast near Calais.

“We understand that Canada may have been offended by Maine’s moratorium,” said Senator Barry Hobbins, chairman of the joint standing committee on utilities and energy.

The decision to lift the moratorium is a goodwill gesture toward Canada and Canadian industries that want to transport electricity or products such as natural gas through Maine to large American markets, Hobbins said.

He said he hopes Canada will reconsider its opposition to the passage of LNG tankers through Head Harbour Passage in Passamaquoddy Bay.

“Maine is now turning the other cheek and expects Canada to do so as well. Let’s give peace a chance,” said Hobbins.

“We kind of extended almost an olive branch to the Canadian government hoping that they will look favourably upon passageway issues.”

But that’s unlikely, according to New Brunswick Southwest MP Greg Thompson.

“Nothing has changed in terms of our position,” he said. The federal government has safety and environmental concerns about LNG tankers sailing through the narrow passage.

Two American companies have plans to put liquefied natural gas terminals on the Maine side of the bay.

Senator Kevin Raye, who represents Maine’s Washington County, contends the proposed LNG projects near Calais are critical to lower electricity costs and to job creation.

As well as lifting the moratorium, the legislation also protects Maine’s interests, according to Maine Jobs First, a coalition of business, labour and individuals.

“We are grateful that the Maine legislature adopted this legislation that will allow Maine to fully review these corridor proposals and ensure that they are in the best interest of Maine people and Maine businesses,” said spokesman John Hansen.

In addition to any proposals from Canadian companies, the legislation also covers Maine-based companies, such as wind and tidal energy generators, that want to transmit power through the state.

In March 2009, New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham and Maine Gov. John Baldacci announced their governments’ intention to explore the development of an energy corridor to move electricity and natural gas between the Maritimes and New England.

The corridor would eventually include pipelines, but the immediate focus is the construction of the electricity transmission line.

Along with the electricity from a potential 500- to 600-megawatt natural gas-fired Irving-owned power plant, the corridor could carry energy from offshore Nova Scotia or hydro from Newfoundland and Labrador.

Pertamina’s Mahakam Plan Faces Delays Due to Buyers – The Jakarta …

The buyers of Mahakan's LNG are Japanese companies Chubu Electric Power, Kansai Electric Power, Nippon Steel, Osaka Gas and Toho Gas. The block supplies them with 25 million tons of LNG annually. Total has signed a preliminary contract …

Students Join Landowners to Protest Liquefied Natural Gas in …

Listening to community members explain how LNG companies have attempted to condemn their land through eminent domain in order to make way for a corporate project that would increase the western United States' reliance on dirty fossil …

Oregon land use board rejects Bradwood Landing LNG terminal …

Get the latest international and Oregon local business news. Find ecomomy and finance articles along with up to date financial market coverage on OregonLive.com.

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Technorati Tags: lng companies, lng limited, lng tankers

The Best Peak Oil Investments, Part VI: Barriers to Substitution

They say, It is not sufficient to have a single LNG vendor with stations built at strategic locations along key freight corridors. …   Read More…

Will The Real InterOil Liquefied Natural Gas Partner Please Ink A Substantive …

The deals are reported to help finance a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Papua New Guinea, which InterOil estimates will cost up to $7 billion. …   Read More…

Tsakos Energy Navigation Ltd. (TEN) to Host an Investor and Analyst Luncheon …

A pdf copy of the slide presentation used on that day will also be available under the Investor Relations section of Tsakos Energy Navigation's website at …   Read More…
That’s all the news for today guys, so until next time, thanks for stopping by.

Students Join Landowners to Protest Liquefied Natural Gas in …

Building on the success of a similar LNG bike-protest that took place in Oregon's Washington County one year ago, this year's “Bike-the-Pipe” event took us along the approximate route of the Oregon LNG and Palomar Pipelines in Yamhill …

#GCC and #UAE Finance and Investment News: Qatar, Russia Discuss …

Russia and Qatar–two of the world's biggest producers of natural gas–are in talks on a joint project involving liquified natural gas, a sign that producing nations are stepping up efforts to coordinate future investments and possibly …

Piedmont to invest $217 mln to supply natural gas to Progress …

(This version CORRECTS that plant is near Wilmington, not in Wilmington; Sutton Plant for Sutton site plant and CLARIFIES that the plant stores liquefied natural gas and why the plans were suspended.) …

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Technorati Tags: liquified natural gas, lng pdf, lng projects

Compressed is just that. Natural gas can't be made into a liquid until you drop the temperature down to about -260F. Pretty cold. Natural gas is compressed into big heavy duty “welding tank” type tanks that can hold high pressure gas, up to 10,000 psi.

Since you can't compress natural gas into a liquid like you can propane (very high critical temperature), then you have to cool it down to that -260F to liquidfy it. Then they store the natural gas in a thermos bottle type container to make it last as long as possible. Stored as a liquid, one cubic foot of liquid can hold as much as the heat value of about 1000 cubic feet of the gas.

Liquidfied natural gas is LNG. If you meant LPG, then that is primarily propane, which can be liquidfied at room temperature and stored in a lightweight steel cylinder (same as a barbecue grill tank)

SANAA (AFP) –
The second train of Yemen's liquefied natural gas plant has come online, boosting the impoverished country's production capacity to 6.7 million tonnes of LNG per year, state media reported Saturday.

Production at the second train of the liquefaction plant at Balhaf on the Gulf of Aden began Friday, the defence ministry's 26sep.net news website said.

The first liquefying unit began operating on October 15 and the maiden shipment of LNG left Yemen's shores on November 7.

The 4.5-billion-dollar (3.0-billion-euro) project, involving a 320-kilometre (200-mile) gas pipeline from Maarib in eastern Yemen, is the country's largest ever investment.

“The future of Yemen is promising in terms of gas,” 26sep.net quoted Oil Minister Amir al-Aydarus as saying.

With the second train, Yemen's production of LNG will gradually increase to 6.7 million tonnes per year, said Francois Rafin, director general of Yemeni Liquefied Natural Gas, of which French Total owns a 39.6 percent stake.

Eighteen shipments of LNG have been exported so far, to South Korea, the United States, China, Spain and Mexico, Total said in a statement.

According to Rafin, about 85 shipments will be exported in 2010 and between 100 and 105 in 2011.

He has previously estimated that over 25 years, the Balhaf project should generate between 30 and 40 billion dollars in revenue.

Yemen, the poorest country in the Arab world, produces about 300,000 barrels of oil per day, but production is dropping by five percent annually.

Yemen has 259 billion cubic metres of proven natural gas reserves.

Uranium Demand Showing Price Weakness

Nuclear Market Review (NMR) editor Treva Klingbiel reported in this week’s issue, “Two sellers that were evaluating bids in response to their auctions have concluded their evaluations and have decided not to sell at this time.” She added, “Both sellers preferred to make delivery in June while most bidders were seeking delivery for several months out.” The U3O8 Weekly Spot Price Indicator, as published in NMR, remained unchanged at US$138/pound.

While spot U3O8 transactions could remain in the $130 to $150/pound range for a while longer, it appears that increased supply in proportion to market demand could lead to a temporary price hiccup. We cautioned of this possibility in early January of this year.

According to the NUEXCO/TradeTech Exchange Value for monthly uranium spot, the last U3O8 spot price decline took place in May 2003

Traders have backed off the past few weeks. General discontent through the utility industry suggests spot U3O8 needs to take a breather.

In an April 12th interview with Dr. Robert Rich, he warned of a ‘price adjustment.’ But, he also told us at the time, “The minute buyers see things go down, they are going to flock back into the market, and say, ‘Okay, we knew this was going to happen. Now, we buy.’ The utility consumers will come back into the market like lemmings, and buy up anything available. The next thing you know, there’s another spike.”

Is the Blended Fuel Value
Pointing to a Uranium Price Decline?

In an eye-opening interview with Joe McCourt on May 21st, we learned about his company’s proprietary Blended Fuel Value (BFV). McCourt told us, “The BFV calculates the weighted average price of uranium held by all publicly traded funds as a function of the fund share price. The upward and downward price movement of the BFV reflects North American and European investors’ sentiments on the current spot price of physical uranium.”

Until this past April, the BFV has traded well above the weekly spot uranium price indicators, published by either TradeTech or Ux Consulting. For the week, the BFV has traded a whopping $19/pound BELOW the price indicators.

According to Joe McCourt, who writes in this week’s FreshFUEL, “The value of the BFV should be about $6 higher than spot U3O8 to accoun
1000
t for the cost of underwriting and distributing the shares of the fund. Currently, the BFV is about triple that amount lower than the spot price.”

McCourt refers to his BFV as “a measure of plebian wisdom.” He concluded, “Currently, that wisdom is indicating that the legacy prices have moved too high, too quickly.”

After the Price Hiccup?

If Uranium Participation Corp (TSX: U) is a proxy for the spot uranium price, then we might see the ‘price hiccup’ we forecast to take place between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

What would precipitate the temporary price decline?

In a news release issued this past week, United Steelworkers International (USW) president Leo W. Gerard called upon the U.S. Department of Commerce to continue including SWU (Separative Work Units) contracts in the 15-year-old suspension agreement with Russia’s Rosatom.

Gerard wrote, “There has been evidence the agreement falls short of covering both forms of imported uranium (LEU and SWU), potentially flooding the American market with imports.” He added, “It could also force the shutdown of domestic production – making the U.S. totally dependent on foreign sources.”

At this time, the U.S. imports about 90 percent of the enriched uranium used to power the country’s 103 nuclear reactors. Only U.S. Enrichment Corporation (NYSE: USU) converts and enriches uranium in the United States.

If through some loophole, Russia does flood the market – or if speculators perceive this is possible, then this event could begin a price decline.

Or does this have something to with the major Australian uranium producers in concert with the large Canadian producers?

This claim was brought forward to us by Michael D. Campbell, chairman of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists’ Uranium Committee, in a news release he sent to StockInterview.com.

Campbell suggests that recent statements made by Australia’s Macquarie Bank about falling uranium prices are meant “for the purpose of inhibiting investment in new uranium production, which in turn would tend to protect the large producers and support higher prices over the long term.” Campbell asserts, “This would be a return to cartel conditions exerted by major Canadian and Australian producers while the prices were low during the 1980s through 2005Ŕ

In a June 22nd Metals Morning Note, Salman Partners’ Raymond Goldie wrote, “If you’re holding a junior uranium company thinking that Cameco (NYSE: CCJ) will take it over – think again!” Goldie explained in his desk note, “Yesterday, Cameco Corporation held meetings in Saskatchewan with the investment community… Cameco believes that the juniors are being valued at prices that would not create value for Cameco’s shareholders. Management implied that it is waiting for a dip in uranium prices and a resulting much sharper drop in the prices of the juniors.”

In any case, we do not believe in a sustained price decline of either spot or long-term uranium. For quite some time, we have been concerned about the chasm between the spot and long-term uranium price. A US$40-plus divergence between spot U3O8 and long-term pricing is not sustainable.

Based upon weakened buying in the spot market, the stalled spot uranium price and the divergence, we anticipate a near-term decline in the spot market.

In our CD-ROM publication, “Uranium Outlook 2007 – 2008,” we explained that a short-term uranium price decline would most greatly impact those junior uranium companies who have not yet delineated an asset. This appears to be the gospel Cameco is now espousing. The field is crowded and unlikely to continue further expansion.

For the long-term, Michael Campbell foresees uranium prices fluctuating between US$80 and $100/pound. He believes the high price should stay that way past 2020, unless there were a serious nuclear accident, a number of large uranium discoveries, a series of large-capacity urani
1000
um mines online or the broad utilization of international fuel recycling.

We disagree with uranium price peaks forecast by 2009 suggested by Lehman and Macquarie. Over the past year, we found a comparable price scenario in molybdenum. Although numerous analysts were forecasting US$10 to $15/pound in this silvery-white metal, we insisted the molybdenum price would rise beyond US$30/pound in 2007 and rally higher during 2008 and later. Ferromolybdenum was recently offered at US$37/pound while molybdenum oxide remains well above US$30.

The problem with metals, U3O8 and other natural resource pricing forecasts is China’s metals and energy consumption. We covered this in our recent publication, “investing in China’s Energy Crisis.”

Take Alcoa (NYSE: AA) as a case in point.

This past Thursday, Alcoa Australia director of projects Craig Walkemeyer warned that the company’s Australian operations might have a problem with expansion plans because of natural gas prices. “In the last year, (gas) prices have doubled and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to secure competitively priced long-term contracts.”

Three Western Australia refineries supply 13 percent of the world’s alumina requirements. A natural gas shortage could impact Australian alumina production. Western Australia’s bauxite deposits are lower grade than elsewhere in the world, but low-cost energy has kept the region competitive. This edge has been eroded by the energy crisis of Australia’s largest consumer of its alumina – China.

In the past year, China’s natural gas consumption jumped by 20 percent.

In May 2006, the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo was loaded for delivery to China’s Guandong LNG terminal. This commenced the 25-year trade relationship Australia’s Woodside (ASX: WPL) and a Chinese LNG company. Four years earlier, China had signed to buy 3.3 million tonnes of LNG annually over 25 years from Australia’s largest natural gas deposit, North West Shelf. This was Australia’s largest single trade deal.

The key points for making this comparison are:

• China can and will consume far more energy and metals than most analysts are willing to admit

• Beliefs in sustained price corrections for energy components, such as oil, natural gas and uranium, are based in fantasy

• There is a remarkable inter-connection between China’s energy crisis and any metal or energy component, which this country will consume in order to maintain its double-digit GDP growth.

• Whether it is alumina, natural gas, uranium, molybdenum, manganese or nickel, price declines represent buying opportunities in those commodities

With regards to Alcoa, China will likely pay the piper and pay a higher price for alumina, after having helped double the gas prices in Western Australia.

Another concern expressed by Alcoa’s Australian director was labor shortages.

Labor shortages and environmentalists should continue to sustain the uranium price over the longer term. Short-term declines might come about because of a loss in speculator frenzy – but not for fundamental reasons.

And environmentalists should also include terrorists. These should be regarded as an extreme form of environmentalism. But, they are generally arguing about the same problem.

In the western United States and in southern Australia, there are worries about availability of groundwater. Environmentalists in those areas argue that new uranium mines ‘must not’ be put into production because of water issues. In Darfur (Sudan, Africa), scarcity of water was the trigger for extreme violence and the ongoing genocide.

In Niger – one of the top five uranium producing countries, water supply is an issue. Recent attacks by rebels in Niger were precipitated by broken promises about water. In April, Tuareng rebels were suspected of attacking the Imouraren uranium mine, owned by an Areva subsidiary.

One of the drivers sustaining the Nigerian rebels who wish to ‘emancipate’ the Niger River Delta is the pollution taking place in ‘ljawland,’ as the delta is called by the 43 clans residing in this region. Threats to blow up the pipeline are baseless because they do not wish to further pollute the delta.

All three regions we selected are in Africa – a continent which could conceivably become the world’s largest uranium producer before 2020. The continent is also a major source of other energy supplies and metals (coal, manganese, chromium, crude oil and natural gas).

We have closely monitored many of the global developments in uranium production. There are problems with nearly every forecast we have reviewed by any and all current and near-term uranium producers. Forecasts are forward-looking statements, which are protected by Safe Harbor disclaimers. Mining a deposit is something else, and it is heavily regulated. Enforcing regulations takes time, and the greater the number of projects which proceed to mines will create additional ‘labor shortage stresses’ for not only the uranium mining space but the regulators who oversee and approve these projects.

And then there is the unexpected, as we have witnessed over the past year with Cameco’s Cigar Lake or ERA’s flooding. These won’t be the last.

Collectively, ongoing issues with uranium mining, and in every step of the nuclear fuel cycle, should prevent a return to the uranium price some analysts have begun to forecast over the foreseeable future.

COPYRIGHT © 2007 by StockInterview.com

By: James E. Finch

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

James Finch contributes to StockInterview.com and other publications. He has contributed to the widely popular “Investing in the Great Uranium Bull Market,” and “Uranium Outlook 2007 – 2008.” His recent work, “Investing in China’s Energy Crisis,” is now available at bookstore.stockinterview.com/

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