Four mile uranium mine

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Four mile uranium mine
General information about the mine
Mining technology In situ method
Information about the mining company
Operating company Quasar Resources Pty Ltd (75%)
Alliance Resources Ltd (25%)
Start of operation given up
Funded raw materials
Degradation of Uranium ore
Greatest depth 210 m
Geographical location
Coordinates 30 ° 8 '48.6 "  S , 139 ° 30' 23.9"  O Coordinates: 30 ° 8 '48.6 "  S , 139 ° 30' 23.9"  O
Four Mile Uranium Mine (South Australia)
Four mile uranium mine
Location Four Mile Uranium Mine
Location Lake Frome
State South Australia
Country Australia

The Four Mile Uranium Mine was a planned and government-approved uranium mining project near Lake Frome in South Australia , Australia . The uranium deposit is approximately 550 km from Adelaide and 10 km from the Beverley uranium mine , which is currently being extracted . In this project, the first new Australian uranium mine should start mining in the first quarter of 2010 and become the tenth largest uranium mine in the world. The project failed because the mining company was unable to reach an agreement with the Aborigines , who hold a native title over the affected area .

Mine

The Four Mile Uranium Mine would have become the fifth active uranium mine in Australia to mine the largest discovered uranium deposit in Australia in the past 25 years. In June 2009, Alliance Resources announced that the deposit contains 28,000 tonnes of uranium oxides, the ore body contains ten times as much uranium as the Olympic Dam deposit and twice as much as the Ranger uranium mine in the Northern Territory . The deposit should be exhausted after 15 years.

The mine was originally planned to be operated jointly by Quasar Resources Pty Ltd with 75% and Alliance Resources Ltd with 25% shares. The Quasar Resources is economical with Heath gate Resources Pty Ltd connected, the owner and operator of the nearby Beverley uranium mine .

The uranium mining in the sandstone should take place through solution (English: in-situ leaching ), whereby after drilling in the ore body oxidizing fluid is introduced, which mobilizes the uranium. The solution is introduced into the outer area of ​​the ore body via injection wells. In the center of the ore body, the boreholes are drilled to produce the uranium-containing solution. This is to ensure a flow of the fluid to the center of the deposit and prevent uncontrolled spreading in the rock. Further monitoring boreholes should be created in the vicinity of the deposit, which serve as a control in order to prevent contamination in the vicinity of the deposit. The operator of the mine intended to start extracting 1,400 tons of uranium oxide annually in the first quarter of 2010. The approval authority did not consider the procedure to be safe enough.

Approval

The mining permit for the uranium deposit discovered in 2005 was granted by the Australian Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts Peter Garrett on July 14, 2009. It was the first mining permit granted by an Australian Labor Party (ALP)-led government after it voted to end its three-mine uranium mining policy at its biennial national conference in 2007 . With the approval, Minister Garrett announced that he “certain this operation poses no credible risk to the environment” (German: “it is certain that this operation poses no recognizable risk to the environment”). The approval was supported by the Prime Minister of South Australia Mike Rann .

The Australian Uranium Association (AUA) also supported the mining permit . The managing director of the AUA described the decision as “heartened” (German: “encouraging”), as it “tells [the industry] that if we continue to meet those high environmental standards, which the (Environment) Minister himself applies, then we will be able to continue to expand "(German:" Decision reports that the industry, provided it advances to the high environmental standards - which the environment minister himself applies - we are able to expand ".) The Australian Workers' Union supported this decision and the National Secretary Paul Howes said about this decision that it “represents a significant win for Australia's resource industry” and that this “[provide] revenue for that state's coffers and opportunities to create good, well-paid Australian jobs ”(German: income for the state sack provides and offers the opportunity to be good and good paid jobs to create)

The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) took the opposite view and spoke of a relaxation of environmental standards. In particular, the ACF feared possible contamination of the groundwater by the activities of the mine. An Aboriginal from the Adnyamathanha , the traditional owners of the area, expressed dissatisfaction with the decision and linked it to the practices of Australian governments that had led to the Stolen generation in the past .

End of project

Alliance Resources announced in September 2009 that the project had ended in April 2009. There was a lack of permission from the Aborigines, who can register reservations on the site use through a Native Title . The government had tied the mining permit to the consent of the Aborigines. The project cost of the two uranium deposits at Four Mile East and Four Mile West was AUD $ 90 million.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Phillip Coorey: Garrett approves uranium mine . In: Sydney Morning Herald , Fairfax, July 15, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2009. 
  2. ↑ a b Michelle Grattan, Fitzgerald, Barry: Garrett gives nod to uranium mine . In: The Age , Fairfax, July 15, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2009. 
  3. ↑ a b Esmarie Swanepoel: South Australia's Four Mile uranium project delayed Mining Weekly of 23 September 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2011
  4. ^ A b Sarah Martin: Four Mile uranium mine decision not taken lightly. The Advertiser of July 15, 2009 . Retrieved February 10, 2011
  5. ↑ a b Paul Hayes: Uranium mine approved . In: Australian Mining , July 15, 2009. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2009. 
  6. ^ A b Sarah-Jane Tasker: Uranium industry emerges a key player . In: The Australian , News Limited, July 16, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2009. 
  7. ^ Australian Associated Press: New uranium mine approved . In: The Australian , News Limited, July 14, 2009. Archived from the original on July 18, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2009. 
  8. ↑ Welcome . Quasar Resources Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on October 14, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
  9. ^ World's best environmental practice for new mine , Australian Government. July 14, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2009. 
  10. ^ Mine objections 'short-sighted' , Australian Broadcasting Corporation. July 15, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2009. 
  11. ↑ Paul Hayes: Fourmile a boost for the industry, Angwin . In: Australian Mining , Reed Business Information, July 16, 2009. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2009. 
  12. ^ Paul Howes: A uranium mine is good news for jobs . In: The Age , Fairfax, July 17, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2009. 
  13. ^ A b 'Significant problems' with uranium mine approval , Australian Broadcasting Corporation. July 14, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2009.