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Old 08-13-2010, 06:52 AM
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Default A Who Who of Australian Based Uranium plays

Who?s who in the uranium zoo Tania Winter
Thursday, 12 August 2010
By MiningNews.net (Australia's premier Mining News online IMO)

IT was no real surprise that the highest grade uranium reserves in Australia belong to one of the country?s few producers of the radioactive material, the Rio Tinto-controlled Energy Resources of Australia?s Jabiluka deposit in the Northern Territory.

Jabiluka from the air
With a reserve of 13.8 million tonnes grading 4.91 kilograms per tonne of uranium oxide, Jabiluka took out the top position based on results from an Intierra Live database survey, which ranked 106 Australian uranium deposits with published reserve and resource numbers.

Results have been ranked in terms of uranium grades rather than the amount of contained metal or tonnages in the ground.

BHP Billiton?s Yeelirrie project came in second with a reserve of 35Mt at 1.5kg/t of uranium oxide for 52,000t.

ERA?s operating Ranger mine has a reserve of 27.68Mt at 1.35kg/t of uranium oxide, but of course BHP Billiton?s mighty Olympic Dam mine in South Australia tipped the scales in terms of volume, with reserves of 589Mt at 0.59kg/t of uranium oxide.

Resources for Jabiluka reached 29.24Mt at 4.85kg/t, while numbers at Ranger were 154.91Mt at 0.90 kg/t and Olympic Dam reached just over 9 billion tonnes grading 0.27kg/t.

In terms of other resources scattered across the country, Areva?s Koongarra uranium project in the uranium-friendly jurisdiction of the Northern Territory had the highest grade of 11.02kg/t, but with relatively minor tonnage of 812,000t.

Also in the Top End, the relinquished Coronation Hill property near Jabiluka had a healthy grade of 5.37kg/t based on tonnages of 344,000t, while Cameco Corporation?s Caramal deposit returned 758,000t at 3.30kg/t.

ERA?s Ranger 68 uranium property returned 1.5Mt at 3.57kg/t.

In South Australia, the Four Mile uranium project, currently the subject of a legal stoush between Australian company and discoverer Alliance Resources (25%) and its Canadian joint venture partner and 75% project owner Heathgate Resources and its wholly owned subsidiary Quasar Resources, hosts 9.7Mt at 3.25kg/t.

Alliance is seeking damages and the restitution of its 75% interest over the property and has undertaken its own scoping study into the project?s development which it said would provide significantly greater return as a standalone project producing around 5 million pounds per annum.

Preliminary numbers pointed to a capital cost of $A168 million and operating costs of $21.73 per pound of uranium oxide.

Next in the survey was Aldershot Resources? Adelaide River uranium project in the NT, which had a grade of 2.80kg/t but only modest tonnage of 7000t, while Cameco?s Kintyre deposit in Western Australia, which recorded a lower grade of 2.75kg/t, had substantially more tonnage at 12.7Mt.

Next was Mega Uranium?s Ben Lomond project, with numbers approaching 2Mt at a grade of 2.51kg/t, but its biggest hurdle is its location, being in the anti-uranium mining state of Queensland.

Aldershot Resources? ABC property in the NT followed with a grade of 2.50kg/t, but this was based on very minor tonnages of 2000t.

Returning to SA, Canadian outfit Uranium One?s Honeymoon deposit had resources of 1.2Mt at 2.45kg/t, while Heathgate?s Beverley property followed with 11.66Mt at 1.80kg/t.

Another property that is quickly taking shape is Energy Metals Bigrlyi project in the NT, which had numbers of 29.27Mt at 0.43kg/t, including material grading 1.62kg/t from the Cappers deposit.

This is being developed by Chinese group China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding after it acquired 70% of Energy Metals last year.

Also in the Top End, private group McCleary Investment?s Angela property came in next with a resource of 8.84Mt grading 1.30kg/t, while across the border in WA, Mega Uranium?s Angelo River project came in with 644,000t at 1.24kg/t and Paladin Energy?s Oobagooma property returned 8.3Mt at 1.20kg/t.

In SA, Uranium One?s Goulds Dam project had numbers of 1.7Mt at 1.18kg/t, while in Queensland, Summit Resources? Andersons deposit returned just over 2Mt at 1.05kg/t, while Mary Kathleen recorded 1.2Mt at 1kg/t.

Mega Uranium?s Georgetown project in Queensland followed with 3.92Mt at 0.92kg/t, but Summit?s Valhalla property, while it did return a lower grade of 0.87kg/t, had substantially more tonnage at 36.4Mt.

Also in Queensland, Laramide Resources? Westmoreland project had numbers of 27.7Mt at 0.85kg/t, while in WA, Paladin Energy?s Manyingee deposit had numbers of 13.4Mt at 0.81kg/t.

Paladin Energy?s Valhalla North deposit in Queensland returned 4.67Mt at 0.69kg/t, while Uranium One?s East Kalkaroo project in SA came in at a higher grade of 0.74kg/t, but lower tonnages of 1.23Mt.

In WA, the little known Two Mile deposit, owned by a private party, had a modest 100,000t at 0.78kg/t, as did Burey Gold?s Lyndon property with 700,000t at 0.68kg/t, followed by Marathon Resources Mt Gee project in SA with 51Mt at 0.62kg/t.

Reed Resources? Scottie Well property in WA even made the list, with a grade of 0.62kg/t, but only small tonnages at 150,000t, compared to Toro Energy?s Wiluna property which had significantly higher numbers at 23.6Mt grading 0.56kg/t.

The privately owned Murchison Downs project in WA returned 200,000t at 0.56kg/t, while across the country in Queensland, Summit?s Bikini project had just over 10Mt at 0.52kg/t.

In WA, Energy Metal?s Lakeside property had 624,000t at 0.50kg/t, as did Aldershot?s Noranda deposit, but with tonnages of 500,00t, while Energy and Minerals Australia?s Mulga Rock project returned a healthy 55.44Mt at 0.49kg/t.

Back in Queensland, Summit Resources? Skal project returned 11.5Mt at 0.48kg/t, while two projects in WA which share the same name showed similar results, Impact Minerals? Nowthanna deposit having 10.37Mt at 0.45kg/t and Yellow Rock Resources? property recording 10.36Mt at 0.45kg/t.

The Watta uranium deposit in Queensland, owned by Summit, came in next with 4.2Mt at 0.41kg/t, then Deep Yellow?s Isa West property with numbers of 2.33Mt at 0.41kg/t.

In WA, Mega Uranium?s Lake Maitland project had 32.32Mt at 0.37kg/t, followed by Compass Resources? Mt Fitch deposit in the NT with just over 5Mt at 0.37kg/t and then Aldershot?s Yuinmery property in WA with 1.58Mt at 0.37kg/t.

In the Top End, Deep Yellow?s Napperby project had numbers of 9.34Mt at 0.36kg/t, while Stellar Resources? Warrior property in SA returned 11.76Mt at 0.34kg/t and Manhattan Corporation?s Ponton deposit in WA recorded 16Mt at 0.31kg/t.

Projects which all shared the same grade of 0.30kg/t, included the Tony Sage-backed Cauldron Energy?s Yanrey project in WA with 7.29Mt, Thundelarra Exploration?s Allamber property in the NT with 1.4Mt, Uranium One?s Nilleroo deposit in SA with 12Mt and Cauldron Energy?s Bennet Well play in WA with 7.29Mt.

PepinNini Minerals? Curnamona Province deposits in SA came in next with 18.84Mt at 0.28kg/t, followed by Energia Minerals? Nyang property in WA, which had 12.2Mt at 0.28kg/t, and then the Mary Kathleen project in Queensland, owned by China Yunnan Copper, which had 83,000t at 0.28kg/t.

In SA, Curnamona Energy?s Oban deposit had numbers of 8.2Mt at 0.26kg/t, as did Havilah Resources? Oban property, while Arafura Resources? Nolans Bore rare earths project in the NT had 30.20Mt at 0.20kg/t.

Back to SA, and UraniumSA?s Mullaquana property returned 12Mt at 0.23kg/t, while across the border in WA U3O8?S Dawson-Hinkler Well project had 20.7Mt of 0.23kg/t, followed by Uranex?s Thatcher Soak deposit of 28Mt at 0.22kg/t.

Encounter Resources? Bellah Bore East play came in with 350,000t at 0.21kg/t, Korab Resources Lake Maitland deposit returned 4.9Mt at 0.20kg/t and Navigator Resources? Cummins Range property recorded 4.17Mt at 0.19kg/t.

A whole list of projects shared the same grade of 0.18kg/t including Maximus Resources? Windimurra deposit in WA which had 19Mt of ore, Aura Energy?s Wondinong play, also in WA, with 6.5Mt, and Exco Resources Monakoff property in Queensland with 1.9Mt.

Those with grades of 0.17kg/t included Encounter?s Hillview deposit in WA which had 27.6Mt defined, Energy Metals? Anketell with 16.3Mt and Lake Mason (7.9Mt) properties, Eleckra Mines? Thatcher Soak play with 16.1Mt and Exco Resources? Monakoff East project in Queensland with 700,000t.

Stragglers of the field included Exco Resources? E1 property in Queensland with 26.23Mt at 0.12kg/t and U3O8?s Minindi Creek project in WA with 3.5Mt at 0.12kg/t.

 

Disclaimer: The author of this post, may or may not be a shareholder of any of the companies mentioned in this column. No company mentioned has sponsored or paid for this content. Comments on this forum should never be taken as investment advice.

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