Antinuclear

MR Kan says he wants to learn first hand about the situation at Ranger, having become aware of the debate over its future. ERA will not disclose its overseas customers, citing commercial confidentiality.

But the World Nuclear Association says Ranger has supplied the nuclear industries of South Korea, China, Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, and the US as well as Japan.

The risks of expanding the mine’s operations were highlighted on December 7 last year, when a so-called leach tank failed, discharging toxic uranium ore leachate over the site.

The federal government suspended Ranger’s operations while an inquiry was held, but gave the green light for resumption last month after an interim report found “no adverse environmental impact on human health or Kakadu National Park as a result of the incident”,

But a groundwater analysis prepared as part of the investigation conceded there was “insufficient post-spill data to either support or refute that the Leach Tank 1 spill in December last year entered the groundwater underlying the plant.”

Over the 34 years of the mine’s operation, there have been about 200 incidents of leaks, spills or other breaches of its operating licence, according to the Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation which represents the Mirarr.

NT Environment Centre anti-nuclear campaigner Lauren Mellor says Mr Kan’s visit should be a “powerful reminder to the Australian government” to look at weak regulation of the industry and “really re-evaluate our role in that industry”….. http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/former-japan-pm-to-campaign-against-australias-uranium-20140822-106y4k.html#ixzz3BAEaqiaC