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Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King has issued a new rehabilitation authority to Energy Resources Australia (ASX:ERA) for the continuation of rehabilitation activities at the Ranger uranium mine in the Northern Territory.
“This new authority means that Energy Resources will be able to continue with its obligation to restore Ranger uranium mine to a condition similar to the surrounding Kakadu National Park,” King said in a media release with Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, Minister for Indigenous Australians.
McCarthy approved the agreement under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act in the Northern Territory.
Ranger is located in the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory, approximately 8 kilometres east of Jabiru.
Uranium oxide production began at the mine in 1981, with operations continuing for 40 years.
Historical production at Ranger is estimated at 126,000 tonnes of uranium oxide, with processing ending in January 2021.
Energy Resources said that its rehabilitation strategy was developed in line with internal standards and the Australian and New Zealand Minerals and Energy Council and Minerals Council of Australia Strategic Framework for Mine Closure.
Mining giant Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO,NYSE:RIO,LSE:RIO), which holds an over 80 percent stake in Energy Resources, committed to Ranger’s extensive rehabilitation and said completion is targeted after 2028.
King said in the announcement that the Australian and Northern Territory Governments will continue providing oversight.
“(We) acknowledge the Mirarr people who are the traditional owners of (the) country where the Ranger Rehabilitation Project operates, and the Larrakia people who are the traditional owners of (the) country where our Darwin head office is located,” the company wrote on its website.
“We pay our respects to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”
McCarthy expressed gratitude to the Mirarr Traditional Owners, Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation, Northern Land Council, ERA and Rio Tinto for their collaborative efforts in building the new agreement.
“We want to see rehabilitation completed and for the land to be returned to the Mirarr Traditional Owners.”
Securities Disclosure: I, Gabrielle de la Cruz, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
