Here's an almost comprehensive list of uranium (and nuclear) companies across Australia, mostly active in mining and exploration. Many are local and dominantly Western Australian, although some big foreign multi-internationals are also weighing in on the exploration 'hype'. Also included are company details for Steritech (Food Irradiation), Silex (uranium enrichment), Synroc Australia and Pangea Resources (both high-level nuclear waste).
Shareholder info - Company contact details - Directors - Exploration prospects
Internet Resources - Historical Companies / Gulliver Files - etc !!
Current Companies Active in Australia :Major Companies - Nuclear Companies - Junior Explorers - Sideline Explorers
(Mostly) Complete contact address list here.
Major Mining and Exploration Companies :
- Afmeco - See Cogema Australia.
- BHP Billiton Ltd
- BHP, the "Big Australian", merged with Billiton in early 2001, one of South Africa's largest mining groups. The new company is to be called BHP Billiton. Both BHP and Billiton are involved in several exploration projects with exploration juniors around the world where uranium is being targetted as part of copper and base metals explorations programs.
- Cameco (Australia) Pty Ltd / Cameco Corporation
- Developing extensive exploration programs in WA, NT. Closely allied with PNC Exploration and Cogema Australia.
- Canning Resources Pty Ltd
- Subsidiary of Rio Tinto Ltd (formerly CRA Ltd). Proponent of abandonded proposal at Kintyre, WA, and exploration at Westmoreland, Qld.
- Cogema Australia Pty Ltd / Afmeco Mining and Exploration Pty Ltd - Koongarra Mines Pty Ltd
- Exploration across Arnhem Land, NT, and possible mine at Koongarra, NT, within Kakadu National Park. (Koongarra Mines was the original company formed to mine Koonagarra - now subsidiary of Cogema). Afmeco and Total Mining were French companies, now subsidiaries of Cogema, both very active across Australia in exploration and trial uranium mines.
- CRA - See Rio Tinto.
- Energy Resources of Australia Ltd (ERA)
- Heathgate Resources Pty Ltd
- Subsidiary of USA nuclear multi-national General Atomics, attempting to develop the Beverley uranium ISL mine, SA.
- North Ltd
- Pioneer International Ltd
- Parent company of Queensland Mines.
- PNC Exploration Australia Pty Ltd
- FORMERLY (!!) extensive uranium explorer across WA, SA and NT. Closely allied with Genesis Resources, Cameco Australia, Ocean Resources and WMC. Conducted trial mining at Mulga Rock, WA, in early 1980's.
- Queensland Mines Ltd (QML)
- Owner and operator of the former Nabarlek uranium mine, Arnhem Land, NT. Still active in exploration. Subsidiary of Pioneer International.
- Rio Tinto Ltd (formerly CRA Ltd - RTZ Ltd)
- The most infamous of all mining companies. Extensive exploration worldwide. Parent company of Canning Resources (Kintyre, WA and Westmoreland, Qld). Majority owner of the infamous and disastrous Rossing uranium mine in Namibia, Africa.
- WMC Ltd (formerly Western Mining Corporation)
- Owns the Olympic Dam (Roxby Downs) copper-uranium mine, SA, and the old trial mine at the large calcrete uranium deposit at Yeelirrie, WA.
Nuclear Companies :
- Pangea Resources Australia Pty Ltd
- Australian subsidiary of American-high level nuclear waste rogues, Pangea Resources.
- Silex Systems Ltd
- Australian company floated on the Stock Exchange to develop laser techniques for uranium enrichment.
- Steritech Pty Ltd
- Australian company established in 1971 to commercially irradiate stuff. Recently lobbied the government to remove the moratorium on Food Irradiation. Wonderful.
- Synroc Australia Pty Ltd / Nuclear Waste Management Pty Ltd
- Australian company established to commercialise the Synroc high-level waste technology.
Smaller Exploration Companies :
Major Explorers :
- Aztec Resources Ltd (formerly Acclaim Uranium NL)
- Exploration all over WA, and recently in Namibia, Africa.
- Black Range Minerals NL (formerly Uranium Australia NL / Noble Resources NL)
- Extensive uranium explorer all over SA, WA, NT. Closely allied with Paladin Resources in SA, WA and Cogema Australia and Cameco in NT.
- Equinox Resources NL
- Exploration near Curnamona in JV with BHP, Olary Ranges, SA (Ethiudna JV), and the Lumwana Cu-U-Au-Co project in Zambia, Africa, with Phelps Dodge. Lumwana is a smaller and lower grade version of Roxby.
- Giralia Resources NL
- Gold explorer (mainly), increasing attention on uranium in northern Gammon Ranges, Lake Frome, SA. All exploration is now directly funded by Heathgate Resources while Giralia maintain a 25% interest.
- Gunson Resources Ltd
- A new explorer with a strong focus on copper-uranium deposit exploration around Woomera, near Olympic Dam and the former Mt Gunson copper mines.
- Paladin Resources Ltd
- Owner of Manyingee and Oobagooma uranium deposits, WA, both potential ISL mines. Extensive uranium explorer all over SA and WA. Formerly closely allied with Black Range Minerals NL.
- Resolute Ltd
- Exploration at Valhalla, QLD in JV with Summit Resources.
- Southern Cross Resources Inc.
- Summit Resources NL
- Exploration at Valhalla, QLD in JV with Resolute Ltd.
- Uranium Australia NL - See Black Range Minerals.
Minor Explorers (mostly in Joint Ventures with companies above) :
- Acclaim Exploration NL
- Founder of Acclaim Uranium NL (now Aztec Resources Ltd) as a new uranium exploration company.
- Balmain Resources Pty Ltd
- Small Perth resource company, minor interests in uranium (JV with Paladin Resources at Kayelekera, Malawi).
- Defiance Mining NL
- Exploration JV at Nowthanna, WA, with Aztec Resources Ltd (formerly Acclaim Uranium NL).
- Eagle Bay Resources NL
- Proposed exploration near Onslow at Manyingee / Bennetts Well, WA.
- Kallenia Mines NL
- Exploration at Myroodah, WA, formerly in JV with Aztec Resources Ltd (formerly Acclaim Uranium NL).
- Kumagai Australia Pty Ltd
- Exploration in Arnhem Land, NT, in JV with Cogema Australia. Very little known.
- Macapa Pty Ltd
- Exploration in Arnhem Land, NT, in JV with Cogema Australia and S A E Australia . Very little known.
- Minotaur Gold NL
- Exploration at Lake Torrens prospect, SA.
- Musgrave Block Holdings Ltd
- Facilitating and attempting to setup even more exploration in the "Pit Lands" - the traditional lands of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara people. Looking for anything, including uranium.
- Pima Mining NL
- Exploration interests for uranium in SA - drilling the Lake Torrens prospect 40 km east of Roxby, although the exploration lease has now been joint-ventured to Billiton and Minotaur Gold.
- Reefton Mining NL
- Yet another junior explorer quietly hoping for a uranium strike - in Namibia, Africa though (but not Western Australia - apparently), right near the infamous disaster known as the Rössing uranium mine.
- S A E Australia Pty Ltd
- Exploration all over Arnhem Land, NT, primarily in JV with Cogema, Kumagai Gumi Co Ltd and Savage Australian Exploration Pty Ltd.
- Sedimentary Holdings NL
- Major shareholder in Southern Cross Resources, developers of the Honeymoon ISL uranium mine, Lake Frome, SA. One of the early explorers in the Lake Frome region in the late 1960's to early 1970's. Now into gold only.
- Signature Resources NL
- Exploration JV at Siccus, SA, with Paladin Resources.
Curios or Sideline Exploration Companies :
- Anaconda Uranium Corporation
- Attempted to develop Ben Lomond and Maureen, QLD - now abandoned !!!
- Ashton Mining Ltd
- Primarily a diamond producer (such as Argyle, WA), recently applied for exploration in Arnhem Land, NT. Taken over by Rio Tinto in late 2000.
- Eagle Bay Resources NL
- Tried (briefly) to establish an exploration project over the Bennett's Bennetts Well/Manyingee prospect in north-western WA in 1997-99. Project now abandoned.
- Fortuna NL (now VivaNET Ltd)
- Maintains a 10% interest in an exploration JV at Bingelly, SA, with Paladin Resources.
- Genesis Resources NL (now Pancontinental Oil & Gas NL)
- Brief flirt with uranium exploration in 1997-98 across Arnhem Land, NT, closely allied with Ocean Resources NL and PNC Exploration.
- Goldminco NL - now Datafast Telecommunications Ltd
- Still has 1% royalty from Exploration JV at Curnamona, SA, with Paladin Resources.
- Goldstream Mining NL
- Formerly had the exploration leases for Mt Painter, SA, with Bonanza Gold Pty Ltd (25%).
- Normandy Exploration Ltd
- Exploration in Arnhem Land, NT. Subsidiary of gold giant Normandy Mining Ltd.
- Ocean Resources NL - now Bambuu Ltd (internet company)
- Uranium explorer across Arnhem Land, NT. Was formerly closely allied with Genesis Resources and PNC Exploration.
- Thunderbolt Resources NL
- New exploration company. Recent application for exploration in Arnhem Land, NT. Details unclear.
Historical Companies Once Active in Australia : Some companies involved during the 1970's to early 1980's :
Some companies involved during the 1950's and early 1960's :
- Doria Gold Mines
- Territory Scheelite
- Territory Uranium Syndicate
- North Australia Uranium Corporation
- Uranium Mines NL
- Northern Uranium Development
- South Alligator Uranium NL
- United Uranium NL
Internet Resources : Some ways to find information on the internet about uranium companies :
- WISE Uranium Project - Uranium Companies Page
- Uranium Research Group - Darwin group researching the social and environmental impacts of uranium mining and exploration in the Kakadu and Arnhem Land region of the NT. http://www.urg.org.au/
- Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) website - http://www.asx.com.au/
- Australian Securities and Information Commission (ASIC, formerly just ASC) website - http://www.asic.gov.au/
- The Gulliver File - an extensive collection of dossiers on the activities of every known mining company even remotely involved in uranium somewhere.
- Digital Reflections Mining and Exploration website - http://www.reflections.com.au/MiningandExploration/index.html
- The Prospector's website - http://www.theprospector.com.au/austmineco.htm
- Mustang Mining Services Directory - http://www.mustangmine.com.au/
- Download South Australia exploration tenement data - http://www.mines.sa.gov.au/eldata.html, Mining group (formerly Mines and Energy SA, "MESA", now Primary Industry and Resources SA, "PIRSA").
- WA Department of Mines and Energy - http://www.dme.wa.gov.au/
- NT Department of Mines and Energy - http://www.dme.nt.gov.au/
- QLD Department of Mines and Energy - http://www.dme.qld.gov.au/
Much of the corporate information found here is from Mudd, 1998. Compiled for the "Nuclear Free Australia Forum" held by the Anti-Uranium Collective from Friends of the Earth (Fitzroy) in December 1998.Another important reference - "Register of Australian Mining 1999/00", Published by Resource Information Unit (RIU). A major book documenting all current companies in mining, known mineral deposits and exploration programs - very extensive and reasonably accurate. Check their website - http://www.riu.com.au/ram.html.
Another version of the Mining Register is the "98 Australian Mines Handbook" published by Paydirt Magazine. Check their website - http://www.erd.pair.com/Paydirt_Online/98handbk.htm.
Last updated January 18, 2004.
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