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BHP to ‘dump mine tailings on ground’ | The Australian

BHP to ‘dump mine tailings on ground’

Gavin Lower | May 01, 2009

Article from:  The Australian

BHP BILLITON plans to store radioactive mine tailings from its proposed Olympic Dam expansion on the surface, rather than return the material to the pit as the Northern Territory’s Ranger uranium mine is required to do, a key environmental group says.

Australian Conservation Foundation nuclear-free campaigner David Noonan said yesterday the company’s plan, coming on the eve of the public release of the 3750-page draft environmental impact statement for the expansion, could see the company create the world’s largest radioactive tailings pile over the life of the mine.

“I understand the BHP EIS will set out the company plan to accumulate and store the radioactive mine tailings on the surface and to leave those tailings on the surface in perpetuity,” he said.

“BHP have told me that what they intend to do with their tailings is not put it back into the pit.”

A company spokesman said yesterday he could not comment on the contents of the EIS.

BHP Billiton proposes to turn its Olympic Dam copper, gold and uranium mine, 560km north of Adelaide, from an underground mine into an open-cut operation.

Mr Noonan said the BHP plan would be in contrast to existing regulations governing the Ranger mine and a Labor Party pledge before the last election to follow world best practice for uranium mining………………….the proposed expansion of Olympic Dam would produce 70 million tonnes of radioactive mine tailings each year, significantly more than the 10 million tonnes of radioactive tailings now produced each year.

BHP to ‘dump mine tailings on ground’ | The Australian

May 1, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized