Ranger Uranium Mine
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. It is 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.
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 |
| 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 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 and the mine plant processed stockpiled ore until January 2021. ERA has tenure and access to the site, principally for rehabilitation activities, until 8 January 2026.