The AFR view of the story – Rio Tinto signs Ranger uranium mine death warrant – so as things stand uranium production in the Northern Territory will run down and pretty much end about 2020. This table is from a decade ago but the grade and size of Jabiluka still puts it in the same place in the list.
The development of this orebody would be good for the nation. If you or I owned property wanted for a new road or Govt purpose it would eventually be resumed if we refused to sell. Hence my question – should Governments pass laws enabling Jabiluka to open? I have held a view for years that the Ranger site is too small for the operations they require. Not only does levitra online pharmacy it helps you with your ailments. As i’ve already explained, there are plenty of web-based pharmacies low price levitra supply sub-quality medications. Mandatory Contracts This isn’t a sure-fire sign of a bad supplier when it comes time to purchase materials for a new experiment, but it can order viagra on line be. Rolfing – Applied to reorder the significant body sections, on line levitra this technique uses physical control and development attention to bring the body into vertical arrangement. Just look at the aerial scenes showing how crowded it is. World Nuclear Association view. The Mirrar People view. Some history from 1998.
Our government needs to drop restrictions on uranium mining and allow these deposits to be developed. If they had any ticker at all they would also take a serious look at establishing nuclear power generation in Australia.
Been to Ranger to discuss supplies for the process. Also have visited the Jabiluka site. Nothing special about the latter – no rock outcrops, little run-off so easy to contain the mine site. As well as I can remember it would be mainly an underground mine with small surface facilities. The mine site is not in Kakadu and would not affect it. I am sure that without the “Greens” telling lies and some aboriginal activist lying about heritage etc most of the local would want to let it go ahead so that they could have jobs and royalties to build facilities (better housing, schools, medical centre etc)
Hope you caught ABC TV news last night, quite a spiel on….. cue fanfares “developing the north” dah dah.
I doubt our pollies would have the brains or spine to draft the right new laws, then pass them, then organise a OzGovMiningCorp and do it all smoothly and efficiently, no, too unlikely. Imagine the screams from the lefty meeja.
But think of the royalty money river that could improve young indigenous lives.
As for nuclear power plants, not one square meter of Oz would be suitable, if you listen to the greens.
Typical cynical government action. Lots of talk about developing the north but then prevent any proposals that will do just that. A political decision – very few votes lost in preventing development in the bush but always the chance of picking up votes in the city electorates where elections are won or lost.
I’m currently working on a zirconium deposit in NSW which could become a significant employer and royalty source for the State. The deposit has some thorium content which has restrictions on mining, export etc – like uranium.
The costs of separating the thorium from Zr and other metals and then burying it (beneath rehabilitated workings) could very well be prohibitive in developing the project. In my book this means that all parties loose out.
Is this good government? …. or a government looking for votes and not progress.
I worked ERA Ranger for 2 years – loved the town and people but not so keen on the job! When I started the staff turnover was about 10%PA pretty good for a remote mine and one of the reasons I accepted the engineering position. By the time I left 2 years later it was 35%PA and even the long timers were leaving!
I was up there when the Jabiluka and Midnight Oil protests were on, lots of funny stories, best told over a 6 pack or 2!
Should they open Jabiluka? Hmmm …. 15 years ago the plan was to truck the ore to Ranger and process it there. The main problem was the ore road between. If Rio announced they will not proceed with R3D then they have probably cut capital and large projects some years ago and will reduce maintenance over the next 5 years as the mine runs down.
By the time our bumbling governments and the greens and the traditional owners have finished the development will need a new processing plant. When they say that, then they will say it is not worth the $$ unless they process the gold as well! YES GOLD, I understood there was enough gold in Jabiluka to pay for the development of the mine, to build a new processing plant and all the costs to operate that plant for 20 years. But the processing requirements were “environmentally challenging” and even I would not like to see that in such a pristine place. Oh, and ranger is still one of the most heavily regulated and monitored mines in the world. They monitor and report every uranium molecule the leaves the site – in parts per million, they also monitor and report the natural uranium the flows down Magela Creek (next to the mine) in the wet season – they report that in kg!
So should they develop Jabiluka? I say no.
If our government had enough brains and balls they would be taking Lanks Thorium and developing Liquid Fluoride Salt Reactors to at least provide good base load while the greens and idiots destroy our cheap energy source and inflict us with useless bird choppers and sun chasers.
Hmm .. I wonder if the green idiots would put up bird choppers in Kakadu … plenty of wind up there! OH, and plenty of birds!!