ERA hits snag with Jabiluka mine

By Jim Green

The federal environment minister, Senator Robert Hill, has rejected a public environment report into the milling of uranium ore from the Jabiluka mine in the Northern Territory.

The proposal from Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) was to mill uranium at Jabiluka, where the uranium mine is now under construction. Tailings would be mixed with a cement paste, and 50% of the tailings would be disposed of in purpose-built pits.

According to Hill, there remains "scientific uncertainty" associated with this option. The uncertainty concerns the hydrogeology associated with the tailings pit and the effectiveness of the proposed cement paste.

This is a set-back for ERA, but the battle to stop the mine is far from over.

ERA's response has to been to put forward another proposal, which involves returning all tailings underground to the mine void. Hill has given this proposal cautious support, saying this option would avoid the uncertainties associated with ERA's preferred option.

Other possibilities are that ERA will try again to win acceptance of its cement paste method, or that the milling of the Jabiluka uranium ore will take place at the existing mine at Ranger. Earlier this year this option was vetoed by the Mirrar traditional owners, but ERA claims it has "full commonwealth environmental approvals" to process the Jabiluka ore at Ranger.

From GLW issue 331