Paladin Energy Ltd., the Australian company producing uranium in Namibia, said the global credit crunch will delay or scupper planned industry projects, cutting supplies of the nuclear fuel.

"The impact of the credit tightness on the supply side of the uranium business will probably cause the deferral or cancellation of some planned uranium projects,'' Perth-based Paladin said today in a statement to the Australian stock exchange. The credit crunch will also "reduce the money available for exploration companies, which will only exacerbate the supply- demand imbalance in the future,'' it said.