Koongarra, NT - Denison Australia
located in the Northern Territory, 30 km south of Ranger and 3 km east of Nourlangie Rock.
a small but high-grade deposit on land excised from Kakadu National Park
average grades are about 0.8% with a total of 14,500 tonnes in the upper orebody, and 0.3% with a total of 3,000 tonnes in the lower orebody (typically only the upper orebody is used in estimates).
The project is now fully-owned by Cogema Australia, a supplier of nuclear materials to the French military.
Nourlangie Rock is a major Aboriginal cultural site and tourist feature.
the Fox Inquiry stated that the Koongarra deposit should not be developed under any circumstance given it's proximity to the Woolwonga birdlife area and Nourlangie Rock.
despite the Fox Inquiry's unequivocal statement, the Koongarra deposit was still excised from the proclamation of Kakadu National Park in 1979.
upper orebody would need to be mined with open cut techniques, and the lower orebody a possible underground mine.
EIS prepared in 1979 for an open pit mine, with biggest problem being the location on the Nourlangie Creek.
in 1982, Aboriginal owners voted against the development of the mine, and this was the first time Aboriginals were able to exercise a veto over a mining company on traditional lands.
negotiations continued until 1983 when the Hawke government came to power and invoked the Three Mines Policy, which excluded development of Koongarra.
Federal Environment Minister has refused to rule out the possibility of approving Koongarra.
Cogema is currently undertaking technical studies on the site, but no decision on the prospect of mining is imminent.
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