RE: Uranium will be fine! More then fine ...................
Updated
Thu May 5, 2011 1:58pm AESTRio Tinto has warned the Federal Government not to jump the gun by introducing a carbon tax too early.
At Rio's annual general meeting in Perth, chairman Jan du Plessis said the company supported efforts to reduce carbon emissions and that negotiations with the government over the issue had been constructive.
But he said the government must be careful not to penalise Australian companies before the large economies like America and China are on board.
"There is actually a risk that with the very best of intentions the Australian Government penalises Australian businesses without actually making a big impact on the global carbon issues," he said.
Mr du Plessis also says it would be wrong to pre-empt the impact of the carbon tax before further details are outlined.
He said he was confident Julia Gillard would listen to industry concerns but stressed the government should be careful not to jump the gun.
"The Government needs to be careful not to penalise energy intensive export businesses in Australia until such time that the big beasts such as the United States and China move as well.
Rio also dismissed speculation that it is planning a takeover bid for Alcoa.
Earlier, Rio Tinto chief executive Tom Albanese said it would be more difficult to develop new nuclear power stations around the world as a result of Japan's nuclear disaster.
However, he said while the global uranium market initially dropped, prices have since rebounded.
"We believe that nuclear power will remain a core element of the world's energy mix, especially as carbon pricing is introduced," he said.
"That said, it will take longer and it will be more difficult to develop new nuclear power facilities in many parts of the world."