 Ranger mill complex | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Ranger Uranium Mine Location in the Northern Territory | |
| Location | Kakadu National Park |
| Territory | Northern Territory |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 12°41′S 132°55′E / 12.683°S 132.917°E |
| Production | |
| Products | Uranium oxide (U3O8) |
| Production | 132,000 tonnes U3O8 |
| Financial year | Mine lifetime |
| History | |
| Discovered | 1969 |
| Opened | 1980 |
| Closed | 2021 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Energy Resources of Australia Limited |
| Website | http://www.energyres.com.au/ |
 | |
The Ranger Uranium Mine was a uranium mine in the Northern Territory of Australia. The site is surrounded by, but separate from Kakadu National Park, 230 km east of Darwin. The orebody was discovered in late 1969, and the mine commenced operation in 1980, reaching full production of uranium oxide in 1981 and ceased stockpile processing on 8 January 2021. Mining activities had ceased in 2012.[1][2] It was owned and operated by Energy Resources of Australia (ERA), a public company 86.33% owned by Rio Tinto Group, the remainder held by the public. Uranium mined at Ranger was sold for use in nuclear power stations in Japan, South Korea, China, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden and the United States.[3]
The original Ranger 1 orebody was mined out by the end of 1995, although some ore remained stockpiled. A second orebody, Ranger 3, began mining in 1997. Both were open-pit mines. Mining finished at Ranger in late 2012, efforts to exploit Ranger 3 Deeps failed, and the mine plant processed some stockpiled ore until January 2021. ERA has tenure and access to the site, principally for rehabilitation activities, until 8 January 2026.[4]
- ^ "Regulating the Ranger Uranium Mine". Canberra: Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "Ranger mine ends processing operations". World Nuclear News. London. World Nuclear Association. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
UICwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "2020 Ranger Mine Closure Plan" (PDF). Energy Resources of Australia Ltd. October 2020. p. 3-12. Retrieved 17 January 2022.