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Western Australia has considerable reserves of uranium, but to date no mined uranium has been exported from Western Australia. There has been considerable opposition to the uranium and nuclear industries in WA, especially since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
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Mining proposals and public opposition
In the 2000s, significant opposition to nuclear power and uranium mining saw a ban on mining for a period of time. The six-year Western Australian ban on uranium mining was lifted after the 2008 state elections, which saw the Australian Labor Party replaced in government by the Liberal Party of Australia.
Two uranium mining projects in the state are closer to production, the 750 tonne U3O8 Lake Maitland project, pursued by Mega Uranium, and the 680 tonne U3O8 Centipede–Lake Way project undertaken by Toro Energy, located at Lake Way.
There has been considerable opposition to the uranium and nuclear industries in WA, especially since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. There have been extensive anti-uranium campaigns from WA branches of the Conservation Council, Nuclear-Free Alliance, and the Anti-Nuclear Alliance. Former WA Greens Leader Giz Watson and Labor MP Sally Talbot have also spoken out against uranium mining, nuclear power, and radioactive waste disposal in WA.
Deposits
Current publicly discussed deposits include:
Other deposit names: