A mining company has lodged an application to renew its lease on a uranium deposit surrounded by Kakadu National Park, against the wishes of Indigenous traditional owners.
Energy Resources Australia (ERA) operated the Ranger uranium mine, 250 kilometres east of Darwin, from 1981 to 2021, and is now rehabilitating the mine, at a cost of over $2.4 billion.
Since 1991, the company has also had a the lease on the nearby Jabiluka site — which is one of the world’s largest and richest uranium deposits.
ERA had approval to mine Jabiluka but faced significant opposition from Mirarr traditional owners, which led to a blockade of the mine site by 5,000 people in 1998 and the company’s eventual decision to stop the mine’s development.
On Wednesday, ERA lodged an application with the NT government to renew its mineral lease on Jabiluka for another 10 years, with the current lease due to expire in August.
“We believe the renewal of ERA’s mineral lease is the best way to protect Jabiluka’s cultural heritage,” ERA chief executive Brad Welsh said.
“ERA has protected the cultural heritage at Jabiluka for almost two decades under a long-term agreement with the Mirarr traditional owners that also includes a veto right over any future development.
“The agreement and veto right only remain in place if the lease is renewed.”
ERA has valued the Jabiluka mineral lease at $90 million.
Traditional owners oppose plans
Mirarr traditional owners rejected ERA’s claims that it was in their best interests for the Jabiluka lease to be extended.
Corben Mudjandi said his people were opposed to ERA renewing its lease and had no confidence in the company.
“ERA has a very big problem at Ranger, and this application isn’t helping with that,” Mr Mudjandi said.
“ERA says it wants to protect our cultural heritage at Jabiluka. The best way of doing that is to include it in the World Heritage listed Kakadu National Park where it belongs.”
In 2022, the Mirarr said they were “appalled” an independent report commissioned by ERA suggested traditional owners might reverse their opposition to mining Jabiluka.
ERA to raise funds for Ranger clean-up
Last week, ERA reported a net loss after tax of $1.38 billion in 2023, which included an increase to its rehabilitation provision for Ranger.
ERA had total cash resources of $726 million at the end of 2023 and flagged an equity raise later this year to fund further rehabilitation at Ranger.
“What guarantee is there that this company will be operating in 12 months’ time?” Mr Mudjandi said.
“[Applying to extend Jabiluka] is big talk from a company that is $2 billion short of rehabilitation at Ranger.”
Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation, which represents the Mirarr, said it would seek formal protection of Jabiluka’s cultural heritage through the NT Sacred Sites Act and the Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act.
“We’ve heard very encouraging words from this company when they assured us Ranger would be cleaned up by January 2026 and look how wrong that turned out to be,” Gundjeihmi chief executive Thalia van den Boogaard said.
“We don’t doubt their sincerity, but we gravely doubt their capacity.”
A spokesperson for ERA’s major shareholder Rio Tinto said “we stand by and acknowledge the Mirarr people’s consistent opposition to developing Jabiluka”.
“As such, we support their aim to work with stakeholders, such as the Northern Territory and federal governments and ERA, to ensure Jabiluka’s continued protection.”
ERA spent $211 million on rehabilitation works at Ranger in 2023.
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