Jabiluka back on agenda
Tuesday, 22 May, 2007
by Mandi Zonneveldt
Herald Sun
Rio Tinto energy chief Preston Chiaro told investors at a briefing in London last night that the company hoped to get consent from traditional owners to develop the deposit "in the near-term future".
Rio owns 68.4 per cent of Energy Resources of Australia, which controls the Jabiluka mineral lease.
The company has agreed not to develop the deposit, the site of fierce protests in the late 1990s, without the consent of the traditional owners, the Mirrar people.
Mr Chiaro said ERA's relationship with the Mirrar had "improved dramatically" over the past two years.
He said senior traditional owner Yvonne Margarula had recently attended a training day for new employees at the nearby Ranger mine, also operated by ERA -- a move he described as a "real breakthrough".
An agreement signed in 2005 gives the Mirrar the right to veto development of Jabiluka. ERA can only broach the issue every four years.
"We don't want to ask the question until we're sure Yvonne will say yes," Mr Chiaro said last night. "Hopefully we can get her to a yes in the near-term future."
Mining at Ranger is due to cease next year, although ERA is spending big on exploration in a bid to increase the life of the mine.
While processing will continue until 2020 if the uranium price remains high, the withdrawal of the company from the area would have a big impact on the local community.
Mr Chiaro also confirmed last night that Rio had begun engineering work at the Kintyre project in Western Australia, as reported in BusinessDaily last week.
The company has the support of the Martu people, the traditional owners at Kintyre, and has begun commercial negotiations with them.