Vimy moves with haste at Mulga Rock uranium

Excavation has begun on the Ambassador North pit ramp at Mulga Rock, as Vimy aims to access Australia’s largest undeveloped uranium resource near Kalgoorlie.

Vimy executive director and chief executive officer Steven Michael said much work had gone into reaching this point, with many milestones to tick off before first ore is produced.

“Commencing the starter pit at Ambassador North is another proud moment for the team and a milestone in the development of Western Australia’s first uranium mine,” Michael said.

“The on-site project team’s professionalism and technical support from the Perth team have delivered Vimy to this point and I want to congratulate them all.”

Western Australia’s Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) approved the ORMP following the project’s mining approval in early October.

A water pipeline has also begun construction by Polyline Pipe Systems (PPS) after mobilising its mobile high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe system.

An initial 8.5 kilometres of pipe will be laid in the first stage of a 32.5 kilometre pipeline from the site of the future Kakarook North borefield.

The commencement of mining activities and pipeline construction have narrowly preceded the project’s five-year approval expiry date of December 16.

The project received the approval from the previous State Government in 2016 and the current parliament has been unable to reverse any such approvals under its current ban on uranium mining.

Michael said the company was also keen to move forward with further exploration activities at the Alligator River project in the Northern Territory.

“The Vimy development team’s prime focus is advancing Mulga Rock to the next development milestone and in parallel our exploration team is planning to kick off exploration at our Alligator River project in the new year,” he said.

“These are exciting times for Vimy and new appointments to our team will be announced soon to increase our capacity to deliver value to our shareholders.”