UPDATED The state of South Australia is to carry out an in-depth investigation into its future role in the nuclear fuel cycle in a first-of-a-kind Royal Commission.

Last year saw Australia's uranium production reach its lowest point since 1998 while Kazakhstan maintained its position as the world's largest uranium producer.

Cameco is planning to double the production rate of its proposed Yeelirrie uranium project in Western Australia, and has referred its proposal for regulatory approval.

BHP Billiton has flagged a 27% increase in copper production at the Olympic Dam mine in Australia from 2018, and a doubling from that level subsequently by a low-risk underground expansion with significantly lower capital intensity than the previous open cut design.

The prime ministers of India and Australia have underlined their commitment to implementing agreements that will enable Australian uranium to be exported to India.

Uranium projects in Australia and Canada have moved a step nearer to production by submitting environmental impact statements (EIS) for regulatory approval. Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) has lodged a draft EIS for the proposed Ranger 3 Deeps underground mine, while Areva Resources Canada has submitted a final EIS for its Kiggavik project.

Australia's potential utilization of nuclear energy is several years away, but a roadmap has been drawn up by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering to clear the path for this, writes Warwick Pipe.

The signature of a long-awaited bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement has opened the door for the sale of Australian uranium to India.

The Australian government has said that it is still open to nominations from traditional land owners in Northern Territory for a site for a national radioactive waste management facility. Two months ago it confirmed that Muckaty Station was no longer being considered.

There has arguably never been a more eventful year in Australia's uranium history than that to mid 2014. While low prices were directly or indirectly the cause of some events, exploration, innovation and determination dictated some of the script, writes Ian Hore-Lacy.

The government of the Australian state of Queensland says it is now ready to accept applications for uranium mining projects following its announcement of a new regulatory framework. The state lifted its long-standing ban on uranium mining in 2012.

 BHP Billiton has applied for government approval to build a demonstration-scale heap leaching plant at its Olympic Dam mine, as the company looks for more economical ways of expanding the South Australian project.