Yeelirrie uranium project
Encyclopedia
The Yeelirrie uranium project is a proposed uranium mining
project, located approximately 70 km south west of Wiluna
, in the Mid West region of Western Australia
.
The name Yeelirrie is taken from a local sheep station
and, in the local Aboriginal
language, means "place of death".
The project, undertaken by BHP Billiton
, is one of the three most advanced uranium mining projects in Western Australia and is scheduled for production by 2014. The other two projects are the Lake Maitland uranium project, to begin production in 2012, and the Lake Way uranium project, to begin operations in 2013.
, which saw the Australian Labor Party
replaced in government by the Liberal Party of Australia
. Two uranium mining projects in the state are expected to begin production by 2012-13, the 750 tonne U3O8 Lake Maitland project, pursued by Mega Uranium, and the 680 tonnes U3O8 Centipede–Lake Way project undertaken by Toro Energy, located at Lake Way
.
The uranium mining projects in Western Australia have attracted opposition from organisations
like the Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia, which have attempted to put a hold on them before they reach active mining stage.
The project has also come under criticism by local Aboriginal groups, who asked for guarantees that their land and animals would not be contaminated. The local Wongutha people consider Yeelirrie as a "place of death" and oppose the mine.
. WMC reached an agreement with ESSO
and the German
Urangesellschaft Australia Pty Ltd in 1978 to co-finance the project, which was then scheduled for production by 1984.
Work on the mine was underway by 1980 and trial mines were carried out, but the rise of the Australian Labor Party to power and the party's "Three mine policy
" put an end to the Yeelirrie project by 1983. Yeelirrie was placed in care and maintenance and once more used as a sheep station. Site rehabilitation was completed in 2003.
WMC was taken over by BHP Billiton in 2005 and Yeelirrie hereby became part of the latter, without seeing any activity at first. BHP reactivated the project after the 2008 turn around in government policy. The company plans to mine at Yeelirrie by 2014, producing approximately 80 tonnes of uranium oxide concentrate per week. The mine is expected to have a life of 20–40 years. Ore would be treated on site and then transported by road to Kalgoorlie. From there, it would either be taken to South Australia
or the Northern Territory
by rail, as both have approval to store and export uranium.
BHP scaled back the size of the proposed mine in early 2010, from 5,000 tonnes per annum to 3,500. The reason for this was that the proposed acid heap leach was deemed too costly as it consumed too much acid.
Uranium mining
Uranium mining is the process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. The worldwide production of uranium in 2009 amounted to 50,572 tonnes, of which 27% was mined in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia are the top three producers and together account for 63% of world uranium...
project, located approximately 70 km south west of Wiluna
Wiluna, Western Australia
Wiluna is a complex town in the Mid West region of Western Australia. It is situated on the edge of the Western Desert at the gateway to the Canning Stock Route and Gunbarrel Highway. It is the service centre of the local area for the local Aboriginal people, the pastoral industry, mining, and...
, in the Mid West region of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
The name Yeelirrie is taken from a local sheep station
Sheep station
A sheep station is a large property in Australia or New Zealand whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or south-west of the country. In New Zealand the Merinos are usually in the high country of the South...
and, in the local Aboriginal
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
language, means "place of death".
The project, undertaken by BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
, is one of the three most advanced uranium mining projects in Western Australia and is scheduled for production by 2014. The other two projects are the Lake Maitland uranium project, to begin production in 2012, and the Lake Way uranium project, to begin operations in 2013.
Uranium mining in Western Australia
The six-year Western Australian ban on uranium mining was lifted in 2008, after the 2008 state electionsWestern Australian state election, 2008
A general election was held in the state of Western Australia on Saturday 6 September 2008 to elect 59 members to the Legislative Assembly and 36 members to the Legislative Council...
, which saw the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
replaced in government by the Liberal Party of Australia
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
. Two uranium mining projects in the state are expected to begin production by 2012-13, the 750 tonne U3O8 Lake Maitland project, pursued by Mega Uranium, and the 680 tonnes U3O8 Centipede–Lake Way project undertaken by Toro Energy, located at Lake Way
Lake Way
Lake Way is a dry lake approximately 15 km south of Wiluna, in the Mid West region of Western Australia. It also gives its name to a nearby cattle station, the Lake Way Station....
.
The uranium mining projects in Western Australia have attracted opposition from organisations
Anti-nuclear movement in Australia
Nuclear testing, uranium mining and export, and nuclear energy have often been the subject of public debate in Australia, and the anti-nuclear movement in Australia has a long history...
like the Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia, which have attempted to put a hold on them before they reach active mining stage.
The project has also come under criticism by local Aboriginal groups, who asked for guarantees that their land and animals would not be contaminated. The local Wongutha people consider Yeelirrie as a "place of death" and oppose the mine.
Yeelirrie project
The deposit was first discovered in 1972 by WMC ResourcesWMC Resources
WMC Resources Limited was an Australian diversified mining and fertilizer company formerly listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. WMC was an acronym for Western Mining Corporation. It was delisted on 29 June 2005 following a successful takeover by BHP Billiton...
. WMC reached an agreement with ESSO
ESSO
ESSO may refer to:*Esso, a brand name of products marketed by Exxon Mobil*Enterprise single sign-on*Estonian State Symphony Orchestra or Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, an orchestra in Tallinn, Estonia, also known as ERSO *Esso , a rural locality in Bystrinsky District of...
and the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Urangesellschaft Australia Pty Ltd in 1978 to co-finance the project, which was then scheduled for production by 1984.
Work on the mine was underway by 1980 and trial mines were carried out, but the rise of the Australian Labor Party to power and the party's "Three mine policy
Three mine policy
The three mine policy, introduced in 1984 and abandoned in 1996, was a policy of the government of Australia to limit the number of uranium mines in the country to three.-History:...
" put an end to the Yeelirrie project by 1983. Yeelirrie was placed in care and maintenance and once more used as a sheep station. Site rehabilitation was completed in 2003.
WMC was taken over by BHP Billiton in 2005 and Yeelirrie hereby became part of the latter, without seeing any activity at first. BHP reactivated the project after the 2008 turn around in government policy. The company plans to mine at Yeelirrie by 2014, producing approximately 80 tonnes of uranium oxide concentrate per week. The mine is expected to have a life of 20–40 years. Ore would be treated on site and then transported by road to Kalgoorlie. From there, it would either be taken to South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
or the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
by rail, as both have approval to store and export uranium.
BHP scaled back the size of the proposed mine in early 2010, from 5,000 tonnes per annum to 3,500. The reason for this was that the proposed acid heap leach was deemed too costly as it consumed too much acid.
External links
- Names Search Results - Yeelirrie Geoscience AustraliaGeoscience AustraliaGeoscience Australia is an agency of the Australian federal government. It carries out geoscientific research.On a user pays basis it produces geospatial products such as topographic maps and satellite imagery.-History:...
website - MINEDEX website Database of the Department of Mines and PetroleumDepartment of Mines and PetroleumThe Department of Mines and Petroleum is a department of the Government of Western Australia. The department was formed on 1 January 2009, out of the former Department of Industry and Resources and Department of Consumer and Employment Protection, which were split into three new departments, the...
- BHP Billiton website