Rosatom, Ukraine and Thermal Columns

Russia and the Ukraine are haggling over the rising cost of Russian natural gas, but this further item from RIA Novosti in the same story caught my eye as well:

The Russian Agency for Nuclear Energy (Rosatom) plans to call for leveling off prices of uranium fuel delivered by the Russian TVEL company to the nuclear power plants in many countries, including Ukraine. TVEL buys uranium in Ukraine at world prices but provides thermal columns for its nuclear plants at a privileged price, resulting in a loss of $150 million a year.

Rosatom suggests that prices of Ukrainian raw material and Russian fuel should be leveled off in 2007. This can have negative consequences for Ukraine, because TVEL is currently supplying nearly 100% of fuel requirements of Ukrainian nuclear power plants.

More later, if warranted.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy Environment Energy Politics Technology Economics Russia, Ukraine, Uranium, Natural Gas