Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) has released its closure plan for the Ranger uranium mine in Australia's Northern Territory. Under the existing authority from traditional land owners, mining and processing activities at Ranger must cease in 2021.

The chairman of Energy Resources of Australia has called on Australian governments to embrace the potential to expand the country's uranium mining industry and be prepared for an expansion in nuclear power generation worldwide.

The Minerals Council of Australia has repeated its call for the Australian government to lift a ban on the development of nuclear power. Australia must reform its taxation, industrial relations, environmental and energy policies to shield the nation from future economic downturn and deliver stronger economic growth, the council said in its pre-Budget submission to the federal government.

A small modular reactor could be in operation in Australia by 2030, according to Sydney-based SMR Nuclear Technology Pty Ltd. The country would be imprudent not to factor SMRs into its energy security plan, the company has told the body established by the Council of Australian Governments to implement energy security reforms.

Australia has formally acceded to the Framework Agreement of the Generation IV International Forum, an international task force set up to develop and design the next generation of nuclear energy systems. Accession allows Australia, which has no nuclear power program of its own, to become actively engaged in R&D projects related to Generation IV systems.

The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) has called on the Australian government to reverse legislation that effectively bans the country from developing a nuclear energy industry. The MCA, which represents the country's exploration, mining and minerals processing industry, has also called for uranium projects to be removed from the definition of "nuclear action" under federal environmental law.

The number of beamlines at the Australian Synchrotron will be increased from ten to as many as 18, boosting research output at the facility. The expansion has been made possible by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation securing AUD80.2 million ($63 million) in new funding.

It is hard to see from a review of Australia's National Electricity Market how Australia can manage to balance cost, reliability and emissions without creating a role for nuclear energy, as in virtually all of its key economic competitor countries, writes Ian Hore-Lacy.

The Western Australian government has imposed a ban on future uranium mining leases, but says it will not stand in the way of four uranium projects approved by the state's previous government.

The Australian government is considering the recommendations of an independent review of the country's electricity market. The review, led by Chief Scientist Alan Finkel, has drawn up a blueprint for an electricity system that will deliver future reliability and increased security, while rewarding consumers and lowering emissions.

Australia wishes to export uranium to India "as soon as possible", Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said today. Turnbull made his comments during an official visit to India.

Australia's minister for the environment and energy has approved Vimy Resources' development of the Mulga Rock uranium project. It is the final approval required for work to start on the project in Western Australia.