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The Markets
by Proactive
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The Markets
by Proactive
Proactive UK has moved.
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Energy

Could Berkeley Energia's Salamanca mine be a good way to play a uranium price hike?

2016 wasn't great for uranium miners, but Justin Chan thinks the cycle has bottomed out

Amid all of the back slapping and grins of relief in the mining sector, one group has remained grim-faced at the back of throng.

For uranium miners, 2016, like the previous five years, was another twelve months to forget.

While thermal and coking coal and gas and oil rallied, the price of the radioactive metal used in nuclear power stations slumped to decade lows.

Surely now it must be cheap?

Justin Chan at Numis won’t go that for, but he thinks the metal has reached bottom at least.

WATCH: Uranium prices expected to rally in 2017, says Numis analyst Justin Chan

The shadow of the Fukushima disaster has taken some time to work though the system he says, which has dampened short-term demand while at the same time low cost producer Kazakhstan has increased its production of by 360% since 2007.

With the spot price constantly under the cosh, the electricity utilities that are the main source of demand have been under no pressure to buy on long term contracts.

But Chan sees things changing, with a shift in mindset in Kazakhstan now that it has a 40% of the global market.

If instead of selling at spot it starts to build stocks the effect on the uranium price will be dramatic he says.

He sees Berkeley Energia Ltd (LON:BKY) as a way to play any short-term price spike as it has the Salamanca project in Spain ready to roll into production.

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