Photo by: Bloombeg
PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The end of mining at the Ranger uranium mine, in the Northern Territory, is in sight, after owner Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) failed to gain approval for an extension to the Ranger Authority.
The current Ranger Authority permitted mining and processing activities until January 2021 and allowed for access for rehabilitation activities until January 2026.
The Ranger mine had been fraught with difficulty, with operations suspended in December 2013, after a mixture of slurry moved outside the containment area, following the failure of a leach tank.
The mine was restarted in June 2014, after state and federal approvals were granted.
ERA in June abandoned plans for the Ranger 3 Deeps underground project, citing weak uranium prices. However, the miner had been hoping that an extension of the Ranger Authority would allow ERA to revisit the Ranger 3 Deeps project’s economics over time, when uranium prices recovered.
However, the company had been advised that the Mirarr Traditional Owners did not support an extension to the Ranger Authority.
ERA would undertake a review of its business in light of this decision, but would continue to process ore from existing stockpiles and undertake progressive rehabilitation activities at Ranger, while working with all the stakeholders to meet its obligations.
The uranium miner also warned of a possible impairment to the company’s bottom line as a result of the decision, but no firm numbers were given.