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Radioactive ores were first extracted at Radium Hill in 1906, and Mount Painter in South Australia in the 1930s, to recover radium for medical use. Several hundred kilograms of uranium were also produced. Of the world's proven estimated uranium reserves (5,404,000 tonnes), 31% are held in Australia (1,673,000 tonnes), ahead of the second largest, Kazakhstan (12.1% or 651,800 tonnes).〔OECD. Uranium 2009: Resources, Production and Demand. OECD NEA Publication 6891. 2010〕 In terms of production, Canada is the largest supplier to export markets, followed by Kazakhstan and Australia. Australia exported 50,235 tonnes of uranium oxide concentrate in the five years to 2008, worth A$2.9 billion.〔 Following the Japanese Fukushima nuclear disaster in early 2011, many countries are scaling back their nuclear power production, with some setting deadlines for a complete shutdown of all nuclear power reactors. It is expected that this may impact on demand for Australian Uranium. However, State governments have now approved mine development in Western Australia and Queensland. But as of 2013 uranium prices are very low, and it is unlikely that any new projects will enter active development until the market improves. Historically, many prospective Australian uranium mines have been constrained by active antinuclear opposition. For several decades uranium mining has been a major part of the Australian political landscape, with opposition groups citing the wide ranging environmental impacts, indigenous land access and nuclear proliferation as reasons for ceasing or restricting the industry. The debate has resulted in limitations on mining and export activities, with Federal and State governments occasionally backflipping on public policy. ==History== The presence of a uranium resource in Australia had been known since the 1890s.〔 Uranium was mined at Radium Hill in South Australia from 1906 and a refinery at Hunter's Hill near Sydney processed the Radium Hill ore between 1911 and 1915 for radium bromide and uranium. Radium was used for medical research and also mined at Mount Painter (adjacent to Mount Gee) in South Australia.〔(radiumhill.org.au website )〕 Serious uranium exploration started in 1944 after requests from the United States and United Kingdom governments and in 1948 tax concessions were offered by the Commonwealth for successful discoveries. Uranium deposits were found at Rum Jungle (NT) in the following year, and a mining operation run by the Commonwealth commenced there in 1954. Further discoveries were made at South Alligator River (NT) in 1953, Mary Kathleen (Qld) in 1954, and Westmoreland (Qld) in 1956. In 1954 Radium Hill reopened as a uranium mine and mining operations started at several other sites in the late 1950s. The Port Pirie Uranium Treatment Complex commenced operations in August 1955, processing ore from Radium Hill and Wild Dog Hill (Myponga), south of Adelaide. The £1,800,000 complex was operated by the Government of South Australia to supply the UK - USA Combined Development Agency. The complex closed in February 1962.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Port Pirie Uranium Treatment Complex, SA )〕 By 1964, production had mostly ended due to depleted reserves and filled contracts. Export sales during this initial phase included 7,730 tonnes of uranium to the USA and UK for their nuclear weapons programs. Other sales related to the power generation in overseas countries. A second wave of exploration activity in the late 1960s occurred with the development of nuclear energy for electricity production. 60 deposits had been identified up to the late 1970s. The Ranger deposit was discovered in 1969, Nabarlek and Koongarra in 1970, and Jabiluka in 1971. The first of many government inquiries into the industry was tabled in 1976 as the "Ranger Uranium Environmental Inquiry" (also known as the "Fox Report"), and addressed the question of whether Australia should mine and export uranium.〔(Major Commonwealth Inquiries and Reports relating to Uranium Mining )〕 Mining operations ceased while the inquiry was underway but recommenced in 1977 after the government took up a 42% share of Ranger Uranium Mines Pty Ltd.〔 In 1979 the Commonwealth sold its share in the still to be built Ranger operation and at the same time established Energy Resources of Australia Ltd to own and operate the mine. Ranger finally opened for production in 1981. The Nabarlek (NT) mine operated for four months in 1979. Milling of stockpiled ore commenced in 1980 and produced 10,858 tonnes of uranium oxide up to 1988 with sales to Japan, Finland and France, for civil power generation. Mary Kathleen closed in late 1982 becoming the site of Australia's first major uranium mine site rehabilitation project. This was completed in 1985. A similar site rehabilitation project at Rum Jungle also took place in the 1980s.〔 Olympic Dam (SA) at Roxby Downs started operations in 1988, operated by Western Mining Corporation. A large underground mine, it was mainly focussed on copper production, with uranium, gold and silver as by-products. Western Mining Corp was taken over by BHP Billiton in 2005.〔 Historically, many prospective Australian uranium mines have been constrained by active antinuclear opposition, but state governments have now approved mine development in Western Australia and Queensland. But it is unlikely that any new projects will enter active development until the market improves. As of 2013 uranium prices are very low. Cameco placed the Kintyre project on hold until market prices improve and Paladin has stated that its project proposals (Bigrlyi, Angela/Pamela, Manyingee, Oobagooma, and Valhalla/Skal) need higher uranium market prices before they can proceed. Toro wants to take the Wiluna proposal to the development phase, but has not been successful in attracting equity investors. When market prices go up again, so that mine development is justified, most projects would need at least five years to proceed to production. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Uranium mining in Australia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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