Two uranium mines operate today in Australia, Ranger in the Northern Territory and Olympic Dam in South Australia. All uranium produced is exported for nuclear power generation.
Historically, many prospective Australian uranium mines have been constrained by active antinuclear opposition, but state governments have now approved mine development in Western Australia and Queensland. But it is unlikely that any new projects will enter active development until the market improves.
Energy Resources of Australia (ASX: ERA)
One of Australia's largest uranium producers and owner of the nation's longest continually-operating uranium mine is Energy Resources of Australia.
Types of uranium deposits
Hematite breccia complex deposits – approximately 70% of resources occur in Proterozoic hematite granitic breccias at Olympic Dam in South Australia, the world's largest uranium deposit.
observations support the conclusion that the large number of uranium deposits and prospects across Australia reflects the extensive emplacement of uranium-enriched felsic rocks in three main periods of igneous activity.
On 3 September 2014, Prime Minister Abbott announced the suspension of Australian uranium sales to Russia until further notice.
The BHP Olympic Dam copper-uranium mine in SA is the only outfit still selling Australian uranium into China since closure of Rio Tinto's Ranger mine in Kakadu in January 2021.
Australian uranium produces plutonium – a potent bomb-making material – in nuclear reactors overseas. Australia consents to the separation and stockpiling of this plutonium through the “reprocessing” of spent nuclear fuel waste in a number of countries, including China.
Nuclear power stations can't be built anywhere in Australia.
They are banned in every state, and in every territory. Such bans were introduced because of community concerns about the health and environmental risks.
We now have uranium export agreements with all of the 'declared' nuclear weapons states – the U.S., U.K., China, France, Russia – although not one of them takes seriously its obligation under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to pursue disarmament in good faith.
The world's present measured resources of uranium (6.1 Mt) in the cost category less than three times present spot prices and used only in conventional reactors, are enough to last for about 90 years. This represents a higher level of assured resources than is normal for most minerals.
1. Australia. Australia possesses around 30% of the world's known recoverable uranium reserves.
Although most Australian states and territories host uranium deposits, EDR are concentrated in South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia (Figure 2 and Figure 3). South Australia's Olympic Dam is the world's largest uranium deposit, with an EDR of 876 ktU (490, 371 PJ).
The giant Olympic Dam mine in South Australia is the world's largest uranium deposit. Uranium is also found at Beverley and Honeymoon in South Australia, in the Ranger and Jabiluka deposits of the Northern Territory, and at Yeelirrie in Western Australia.
Currently waste is stored in more than 100 places around the nation, but most of it is held at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (Ansto) facilities in Lucas Heights, Sydney.
In 2021 Kazakhstan produced the largest share of uranium from mines (45% of world supply), followed by Namibia (12%) and Canada (10%).
After that, China imposed anti-dumping duties on Australian barley and wine and stopped buying some goods including coal. While the Chinese restrictions reduced some trade between the two countries, most of their bilateral trade worth $250 billion Australian dollars ($172.35 billion) remained intact.
On 1 April 2016, Australia and Ukraine signed a Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, which would enable Australia to export uranium to Ukraine – one of the world's top ten generators of nuclear power.
The answer is no, they are not assessed to be nuclear targets in the sense in which Senator Chipp asked his question.
"Certainly North Korean ICBMs could reach Australia, carrying nuclear warheads, but Pyongyang is unlikely to attack Australia," he said. "Their ICBMs are really there to deter or attack the United States.
Shenhua is the largest coal mining company in China. The Dongsheng group of uranium deposits is located in south-central Inner Mongolia, about 100 km south of Baotou and on the northern edge of the Ordos Basin. Uranium ore bodies are mostly in area of 200 sq.