Nuclear Power struggles on both sides of the isle

As talk of renewable energy sources continue to impact the political climate of the primaries, Nucular energy seems to be gaining endorsements. Elizabeth Souder from The Dallas Morning News, gives us a nice glance into their power struggle.

"...Barack Obama says nuclear power should be explored as an energy option. Hillary Rodham Clinton says she's "agnostic" on whether more nuclear plants should be built."

While Democrats go from "No to Yes," " Republican presidential candidates say nuclear power promotes energy independence and offers a solution to global warming." more...

Pure infrastructure a safe haven: CFS

Pure infrastructure is potentially the safe haven for Australian investors seeking to insulate themselves from volatile markets, according to Hans Kunnen, head of investment markets research at Colonial First State.

“The classic safe havens will be cash and bonds but should also include infrastructure, mainly because it provides high yields and steady cash flows, so while they don’t provide spectacular growth, they can provide buoyancy,” Kunnen said. Kunnen said the definition of a defensive asset has completely changed in the last three years.

“Some trusts have more equities than property and therefore carry more risk, however those that have low levels of debt and doing the plain vanilla type investing should receive support and viewed for what they are,” he said.

“Two years ago when we talked about defensives, property would come to mind, listed property in particular, which would normally have a defensive yield, but in the current climate, it’s uncertain.”

According to Kunnen, the coming months will allow pure property and infrastructure assets to differentiate themselves from those holding large amounts of debt or equities.

“It will all come out, the market is asking how much debt they’ve got? When they need to refinance? So pure trusts shouldn’t be hard to find after all that,” he said.

Michael Hobbs

Kron Tops Woods, Targets Areva Link to Boost Alstom (Update2)

Jan. 17 (Bloomberg) -- The last time Alstom SA Chief Executive Officer Patrick Kron proposed a merger with Areva SA, he was blocked by Anne Lauvergeon, the nuclear-reactor builder's CEO. Kron, who last year topped Tiger Woods on two holes at a golf tournament in Dubai, is angling to beat her this time.

more...

To contact the reporters on this story: Anne-Sylvaine Chassany in Paris at
achassany@bloomberg.net .

Ethanol Plant's Bust Offers a Preview to Bond Buyers:

Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Grinding stuff, burning stuff and cooking stuff in order to make something else is a lot harder than you think.

This was the big lesson to be learned in the 1980s, when so many municipal bond-financed waste-to-energy power plants went bust, and it was also the lesson to be learned from the 1990s, when a bunch of municipal bond-financed waste-paper ``de- inking'' mills went broke.

It is, perhaps, one of the eternal verities of the municipal bond market. more...

British roads 'not fit for purpose'

Britain's transport infrastructure is "not fit for purpose", with the cost of congestion likely to soon exceed the current figure of £20 billion a year, a report from a centre-right think tank said.

Britain had the most crowded and congested roads, the fewest motorways and "some of the worst public transport" among leading industrialised countries, the report from Policy Exchange said.

Congestion was now endemic, affecting not just large cities but also motorways and small towns, added the report, which was produced in co-operation with task management company Serco and law firm Bevan Brittan LLP. more...

URS Appoints Thomas H. Zarges Washington Division President

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 11, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- URS Corporation (NYSE: URS) today announced that the Company has appointed Thomas H. Zarges as President of the Washington Division. Mr. Zarges, who formerly served as the Division's Senior Executive Vice President for Operations, replaces Stephen G. Hanks, who is retiring from the Company and resigning from the URS Board of Directors.

URS' Washington Division is the former Washington Group International, Inc., which URS acquired in November 2007.

"Tom is an experienced executive with a comprehensive understanding of the Washington Division, gained through more than 30 years with the business," said Martin M. Koffel, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of URS. "He has directed Washington Group's power, engineering and construction, and industrial process businesses, and has managed all of Washington Group's operations since 2002. He is ideally suited to lead the Division as we integrate our complementary service offerings and work to capture the many new opportunities available to URS and our 55,000 employees."

"I am proud to lead the Washington Division and the exceptional group of professionals that have been the key to our success," said Thomas Zarges. "Now, as part of one of the few fully integrated engineering, construction and technical services companies in our industry, our potential is greater than ever. I look forward to working with Martin and the entire URS management team and continuing to deliver results for our stockholders, customers and employees."

To read more, visit http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=89381&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1095347&highlight=

Portugal to invest 15 bln euros in infrastructure

LISBON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Portugal will invest up to 15 billion euros in infrastructure through 2015, Public Works Minister Mario Lino said on Monday, after his government approved the location for a new Lisbon airport.

"The year 2008 marks the return of large scale investments

(in construction and transportation)," he said in a speech to local businessmen on Monday. The investments are expected to be carried out by the state and private companies.

The new international airport, which could cost up to 5.0 billion euros, will include a new bridge. It is also likely to include rail and road connections. The airport will be located at Alcochete, on the south bank of the river Tagus.

The airport is expected to be complete by 2017 and will replace Lisbon's current international Portela airport, which the government says will struggle to cope with rising passenger numbers by 2020.

Analysts expect these projects to boost the country's ailing economy. Portugal is one of Western Europe's poorest countries.

http://www.reuters.com/article/tnBasicIndustries-SP/idUSL1444093520080114

Babcock Infrastructure Tests Expansion at Queensland Coal Port

By Angela Macdonald-Smith

Jan. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Babcock & Brown Infrastructure Group, owner of Australia's second-biggest coal-export terminal, successfully tested a third system for unloading coal at the port, part of a delayed expansion due for completion next month.

In its first run, the new system at Dalrymple Bay that unloads coal from trains ran consistently at 5,500 metric tons an hour, the maximum capacity of the equipment at the terminal, Sydney-based Babcock Infrastructure said today in a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange.

Babcock Infrastructure is spending more than A$1.1 billion ($974 million) to expand the Queensland port in three phases, raising capacity by 44 percent to 85 million metric tons a year by the end of 2008. The company in December revised the date for the completion of the first phase to the end of February, from an original estimate of the end of 2007.

``To date, no major problems have been encountered and commissioning is proceeding generally according to plan,'' Babcock Infrastructure said in today's statement. The completion of the second and third phases of the expansion project is still targeted for the end of December, it said.

The port handles coal from miners such as Rio Tinto Group and Anglo American Plc.

Rio presents bid to host 2016 Olympics

Rio presented on Tuesday its bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games.

According to the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) President Carlos Arthur Nuzman, the presentation was "an outline" of the project to be developed in the city for the Games if it succeeds in the campaign to become the Olympic venue, which will be announced on Oct. 2, 2009.

"The Olympics are 39 world championships in a 15-day period, in the same city, and it can be done only with great effort and a lot of work," stressed Nuzman in his speech.

One of the highlights of the project is the construction of an Olympic training center in the spot where the Nelson Piquet auto race track is currently located, in the Jacarepagua district, Rio's western zone.

The auto race track would then be transferred to another district, leaving room for the new facility. The place neighbors the area that hosts the Maria Lenk Aquactic Park, the Multipurpose Arena and the Velodrome, which were built especially for the XV Pan American Games, held in Rio in July 2007.

Nuzman revealed that "Latin American, African and Asian athletes" have been requesting to come and practice in Rio's sports facilities following the construction of the complex.

Along with the so-called National Tennis Center, to be built on the same spot, the new training center will have four pavilions and will host events of 20 Olympic sports.

The project also included improvements in Rio's transportation infrastructure. The government will take advantage of existing highways to implement a system of articulated public buses to connect the city's regions.



To read more, please visit http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90779/90867/6334891.html#

Manila Water Prequalifies for Water Project in West Bengal

Manila: A subsidiary of Philippine conglomerate Ayala Corp. has prequalified to bid for a water project in West Bengal, the company said in a statement on Thursday.

The project, implemented by the Haldia Development Authority, involves the construction of a water treatment plant with a daily capacity of 113.5 million litres, and a 10-year operation and maintenance deal for the existing water supply scheme.

Manila Water, which has teamed up with India’s Jindal Water Infrastructure for the water project, is competing with foreign companies like Malaysia’s Ranhill and Salcon Bhd and French utilities group Veolia.

Manila Water provides water and wastewater services to over 5 million customers in the east of Manila. The company said it has two other active bids in Asia, one for a non-revenue water reduction project in Vietnam and another for a wastewater project in Hong Kong.

Shares of Manila Water slipped 1.3% on Thursday at 19 pesos in a broader market down 3.2%.


Reuters

http://www.livemint.com/2008/01/03160305/Manila-Water-prequalifies-for.html

South Korea canal project draws foreign investor interest

South Korea’s push of a US$16-billion cross country canal project is drawing attention from foreign investors.

Lee Myung-Bak, the country's first president-elect from a business background, made completion of the project a key election pledge despite opposition from his political opponents and environmentalists.

The Pan-Korea Grand Waterway would link Seoul with the port city of Busan 420 km to the southeast.

Read more at http://www.cargonewsasia.com/secured/article.aspx?id=3&article=15176

Public-Private Agreement Releases Phoenix from Groundwater

By Tony Illia

A new private-public water-treatment plant could soon wean Phoenix area residents off of groundwater supplies by eventually treating 80 million of water per day from the Central Arizona Project. The project is expected to save up to 24 billion gallons of groundwater annually.

Arizona American Water, a unit of Voorhees, N.J.-based American Water, and the Maricopa Water District are building the $60-million, 13.5-million-gallon-per-day first phase of the White Tanks Regional Water Treatment Plant. The 45-acre facility is located on American Water-owned land. Designed by Black & Veatch, Over land Park, Kan., with Garney Construction Inc., Kansas City, Mo., as contractor, the plant will treat CAPColorado River water using a dissolved-air flotation system and filtration to separate and remove solids, followed by ultraviolet disinfection. Future phases will be built based on consumer demand.

http://enr.ecnext.com/coms2/article_neenar080103a