Development of WA’s uranium mining industry

The Department of Mines and Petroleum has informed industry of the stringent regulatory requirements for Western Australian uranium exploration and mining at an intensive briefing today.

The day-long session was an opportunity for the department to outline the State and Commonwealth legislation and regulations applicable to uranium operations.

Uranium mining and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 - Lachlan Wilkinson, Assistant Director Mining Section, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. (PPT 2,352kb, opens in a new window)

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Western Australia has known resources of 201,000 tonnes of uranium oxide in 27 projects and has significant potential for additional deposits to be discovered with many promising areas yet to be tested.

Australia has 36 per cent of the world's reasonable assured resources of uranium of which Western Australia has five per cent.  This means WA has the potential to become a significant global supplier of uranium at a time when the world is building hundreds of reactors.

According to the World Nuclear Association as at June 1, 2009 there are 436 operating nuclear reactors worldwide, 45 are under construction, 131 on order or planned and 278 proposed.

In Western Australia, five resource companies have mining projects that are already significantly advanced with some of the projects expected to commence mining in, or after, 2012.

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The transfer of the Resource Safety Division to the Department of Mines and Petroleum has enhanced the agency’s powers to regulate radiation safety in the uranium mining industry.

Despite the ban on uranium mining only recently being lifted, Western Australian regulators and the mining industry have been working with radioactive material in mineral sands and tantalum which has been mined, transported and exported from the State for 40 years.
 
These operations are already strictly regulated under the Mines Safety and Inspection Regulations 1995 and the Radiation Safety Act 1975, which are administered by the department’s Resources Safety Division and Environment Division, and the Radiological Council of Western Australia respectively.

Mineral sands workers have the most up-to-date workplace health information which is considered as a benchmark for radiation safety practices by industry experts world-wide.

The regulatory framework for transportation of material from uranium mining sites is regulated by Commonwealth, State and Territory jurisdictions. The framework currently abides by the Code of Practice for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Substances 1990. This code was formulated under the provisions of the Environment Protection (Nuclear Codes) Act 1978 and is based on international guidelines for the transportation of radioactive material.  

There is also an inter-agency uranium working group which was formed and had its first meeting in February 2009. The group includes representatives from the Department of Mines and Petroleum, the Department of State Development, the Department of Environment and Conservation, the Environmental Protection Authority Service Unit and the Health Department.
The working group’s objective is to review current legislation and regulations, and to identify the additional technical resources required to deal with uranium mining.

Western Australia has also been meeting with the South Australian and Northern Territory governments to learn from their experience in monitoring and regulating uranium mining.

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The successful development of the Western Australia uranium sector is further supported by the State Government’s and industry’s involvement in the Uranium Industry Framework Implementation Group (UIF).

The UIF Steering Group was initiated in 2005 in partnership with Commonwealth, South Australian and Northern Territory Governments, and other key stakeholders to assist in further developing the uranium industry over the short, medium and long term, while maintaining the highest safety and environmental standards.

In January 2007, the UIF Implementation Group was established as a joint industry-government body, to implement the 20 recommendations made in the UIF report of 2006.

The framework is guided by four main aims:

• To increase Australia’s international competitiveness;
• Facilitating increased mining and exploration of uranium;
• Ensure consistent, effective and efficient regulatory regime for the mining of uranium; and
• To encourage a wider community understanding and acceptance of the economic and social benefits.

The UIF focuses exclusively on issues directly related to the mining, exploration, milling and transportation of uranium.

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The State Government will ensure the highest standards for environmental, occupational health and safety and transportation to mine and export uranium in this state. It will be a requirement for any proposal.

Protection of the environment is of paramount importance. Any proposed uranium mining project will be subject to detailed mining proposals and environmental scrutiny, including referral under the State Environmental Protection Act 1986 and the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

The State Government does not support the export of uranium through any ports surrounded by residential development. Legislation is already in place to prevent nuclear waste being brought into WA and the State Government will not support the construction or operation of a nuclear power facility in the State.

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Western Australia is host to a substantial amount of known uranium deposits with many promising areas yet to be tested.

The mining of this resource in Western Australia will bring significant economic benefits, enable greater employment opportunities and will further showcase the quality and quantity of the State’s minerals and resources.

The Western Australian Government is well-prepared to take the uranium industry forward with a commitment to ensuring the highest global standards for the exploration, mining, milling and transportation of this vastly demanded resource. 

Western Australia will become a significant global supplier of uranium, and has the potential to match the standing of commodities such as iron ore, nickel and liquefied natural gas.

The price of uranium is holding firm due to the high demand for nuclear power, at a time when most commodities are suffering a downward trend.

This means investment in uranium mining has the potential to offer a significant financial return for Western Australia in an otherwise unsettled global financial market.

Encouraging foreign investment in Western Australia is one of the priorities of the State Government, which recognises the key role that foreign investment has played in opening up the State’s resources sector.

Many major international mining companies have already taken advantage of the abundance of uranium available, further highlighting the State's attractive investment climate.

These companies are well placed to begin planning their uranium projects since exploration for the mineral was not prohibited during the uranium mining ban.

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Ionizing radiation has always been a part of the human environment.  We are all exposed to natural background radiation from a variety of sources:

• Gamma radiation from uranium, thorium, and potassium in the ground;
• Radon gas in the air;
• Cosmic rays from outer space; and
• Radioactive elements in our food.

Along with natural radioactive sources present in the Earth's crust and cosmic radiation, man-made sources also contribute to our continuous exposure to ionizing radiation. The typical exposure levels for Australia are:

 
Source: http://www.arpansa.gov.au/radiationprotection/basics/understand.cfm

The world-wide population average annual dose from natural background radiation is about 2 or 3 milliSieverts (mSv) per year.

A typical uranium mine worker is exposed to about 5 mSv in addition each year

A typical radiation dose rate from a drum of Yellow cake at 1 metre is approximately 0.015 mSv per hour.

To put this in perspective:

• A dental x-ray is about 0.005 mSv
• An arm or leg x-ray is 0.02 to 0.05 mSv
• A CAT scan is about 10 to 20 mSv
• The annual occupational limit for uranium workers is 20 mSv
• In some areas of Brazil, India, and China the annual background radiation exposure to the population is between 10 and 200 mSv
• Short-term exposure of between 500 and 1000 mSv will result in low-level radiation sickness.

Source: Radiation and uranium information compiled by Resources Safety Division Senior Scientific Officer (radiation) Ivan Fetwadjieff.

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The State Government is committed to working with established communities and indigenous groups with programs to ensure there is a well informed public understanding of the development of uranium mining for Western Australia. The State Government will work with industry to engage with communities that will be potentially affected by the development of mine sites and transport routes. 

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