Australian Uranium Association
Encyclopedia
The Australian Uranium Association is an Australia
n industry trade group
representing companies involved in uranium
exploration, mining
and export.
The Association was formed in 2006 to act as a national advocate for uranium mining and export, and to commission research and polling on uranium mining issues. A predecessor organisation, the Uranium Information Centre, was replaced by the Association in the same year.
The chairman of the Association is Rob Atkinson, Chief Executive Officer of mining company Energy Resources of Australia
(ERA).
and ERA), and 29 participating and associate members comprising all of Australia's uranium mining and export firms as well as explorers and project developers working to take the next set of uranium mines into production..
produces virtually no greenhouse gas
emissions, is a cheap alternative to coal and oil-based energy production and that if Australia becomes a major player in uranium exports it would be in a position to ensure adherence to international nuclear safety standards and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
. The Association maintains Australia has sufficient uranium to cater for one third of worldwide demand, and views restrictions on new mines as an issue affecting the nation's international competitiveness.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n industry trade group
Industry trade group
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association or sector association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry...
representing companies involved in uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
exploration, mining
Uranium mining
Uranium mining is the process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. The worldwide production of uranium in 2009 amounted to 50,572 tonnes, of which 27% was mined in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia are the top three producers and together account for 63% of world uranium...
and export.
The Association was formed in 2006 to act as a national advocate for uranium mining and export, and to commission research and polling on uranium mining issues. A predecessor organisation, the Uranium Information Centre, was replaced by the Association in the same year.
The chairman of the Association is Rob Atkinson, Chief Executive Officer of mining company Energy Resources of Australia
Energy Resources of Australia
Energy Resources of Australia Ltd is a public company based in Australia. It is a subsidiary of the Rio Tinto Group which owns 68.4% of the company. The chairman is David Klingner and chief executive officer is Harry Kenyon-Slaney....
(ERA).
Membership
The Association has two full members (the mining companies BHP BillitonBHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
and ERA), and 29 participating and associate members comprising all of Australia's uranium mining and export firms as well as explorers and project developers working to take the next set of uranium mines into production..
Advocacy
The Association supports increased exports of Australian uranium for power generation purposes, arguing that nuclear powerNuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
produces virtually no greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
emissions, is a cheap alternative to coal and oil-based energy production and that if Australia becomes a major player in uranium exports it would be in a position to ensure adherence to international nuclear safety standards and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to...
. The Association maintains Australia has sufficient uranium to cater for one third of worldwide demand, and views restrictions on new mines as an issue affecting the nation's international competitiveness.
See also
- Anti-nuclear movement in AustraliaAnti-nuclear movement in AustraliaNuclear testing, uranium mining and export, and nuclear energy have often been the subject of public debate in Australia, and the anti-nuclear movement in Australia has a long history...
- List of inquiries into uranium mining in Australia
- Uranium mining in AustraliaUranium mining in AustraliaRadioactive 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....
- Uranium mining in Kakadu National Park