Australia's Uranium Mines

Follow this link for an aircraft window view of Australia's three uranium mines using Google Earth.

Olympic Dam, the second mine in the tour is owned by BHP, the most profitable company in Australia's corporate history. BHP is conducting a feasability study on expansion at the mine which will see it become an 'open cut' mine with four times it's current production. This will mean the removal of a million tonnes of 'overburden', the earth that lies on top of the ore body, every day for about two years totaling 800,000,000 tonnes of earthmoving. The reomoval of nearly a billion tonnes of earth will require an enourmous amount of energy and leave a hole behind that is 1.2 kilometers deep. The expanded mine would requre hundreds of kilometers of gas and water pipelines, a desalination plant, at least one new fossil fuel fired power plant and a staggering amount of diesel fuel. While the mine will produce other mineral ore's the major focus is uranium.

Ranger, the last one on the tour sits just six kilometers from Jabiru, one of Australia's top tourist locations and in a large flood plain that is at risk of radioactive contamination should the mine's dams burst. Climate change is bringing more rain to this part of Australia and increasing the flood risk.

Overseas Uranium Links

Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster Ukraine

The site of the nuclear reactor has been covered over by a building and isn't visible from above however the Wikipedia entry give you more information. Have a look at the town to the north called Novoshepelichi, it's a ghost town with no cars or signs of life, the trees are overgrowing the crumbling buildings. The nuclear reactor is located beside a river as such power plants require huge amounts of fresh water.

Three Mile Island Disaster USA

The full damage to the reactor core was not known for many years after the accident.

World Nuclear power plants