from : http://allafrica.com
Jo-MarÉ Duddy
21 October 2009
NAMIBIA'S uranium riches have attracted the attention of yet another major nuclear power player: Finland.
Mines and Energy Minister Erkki Nghimtina arrives in Finland today, where he will not only meet with Economic Affairs Minister Mauri Pekkarinen and Foreign Trade and Development Minister Paavo Väyrynen, but will also visit the Teollisuuden Voima Oyj's Olkiluoto nuclear power plant.
Finland has four nuclear reactors in two power plants. A fifth will be completed in 2012.
Namibia overtook Russia as the world's fourth biggest uranium supplier last year, with ten per cent of the global uranium market share.
So far this year, Namibia has already signed an agreement on cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy with India, paving the way to sell uranium oxide to the country.
The agreement also allows for India to train personnel and set up nuclear power plants in Namibia, who intends generating its own nuclear power by 2018.
Uranium also featured high on the agenda with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and entourage of 300, including Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko and Sergei Kiriyenko, chief of Russia's nuclear energy authority Rosatom, visited Namibia in June this year.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry of Finland yesterday issued a statement saying Nghimtina will visit the country until Friday.
"Finland and Namibia will enhance their co-operation in the mining and energy sector," it said, adding that "the development of the mining sector in Namibia requires major energy investments."
During this time, "Nghimtina will get acquainted with Finnish technology within the fields of energy efficiency, renewable sources of energy and mining technology and meet executives of Finnish companies representing these sectors."
He will also visit the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the Geological Survey of Finland, where he will be introduced to the activities of the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority Finland.
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The programme also includes a visit in the Rauma region, where Minister Nghimtina will get acquainted with the activities of the Chamber of Commerce of Rauma and its member companies and visit Teollisuuden Voima Oyj's Olkiluoto nuclear power plant, the Finnish Ministry said.
Olkiluoto, where Areva is currently building the world's largest prototype nuclear reactor, was supposed to be Finland's prime example of new generation nuclear power, driving the so-called Nuclear Renaissance in the country.
However, it is at least three and a half years late and billions over budget. The project has also been plagued with accusations of safety violations, the website olkiluoto.info reports.
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