PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Embattled metals miner Gindalbie Metals has volunteered a part of its tenement in Western Australia for a proposed disposal site for radioactive waste.
The junior miner nominated part of its Badja station as a candidate site for the radioactive waste management facility to store Australia’s intermediate level waste and to dispose of low level waste created from medical and other scientific procedures.
The Badja Station is a destocked pastoral lease covering 113 600 ha east of Geraldton.
Gindalbie was responding to a call for voluntary land nominations by the Department of Industry and Science, which was searching for a suitable site. The nation-wide process would be subject to rigorous technical, economic, social and environmental assessments, Gindalbie said.
Prior to submitting a nomination, the iron-ore company completed a programme of preliminary engagement and consultation with representatives of the local communities, as well as stakeholders.
The miner said on Thursday that extensive public consultations would be undertaken during every stage of the project.
Gindalbie owns the Karara iron-ore joint venture with partner Ansteel. The project is facing some difficulty in the current market environment, prompting the two companies to cut back a number of staff positions at the mine.