Western Australia Court of Appeal dismisses appeal of Yeelirrie Project decision

July 31, 2019

Today the Western Australia Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal seeking to nullify the environmental approval granted by the State of Western Australia to Cameco Australia Pty Ltd for its Yeelirrie uranium project.

“We are very pleased with this outcome,” said Simon Williamson, General Manager of Cameco Australia. “Cameco Australia is committed to minimizing environmental impacts from its projects and we have duly followed the regulatory process, ensuring that the assessment was thorough and transparent. We will continue to work with the local community.”

The Yeelirrie uranium project was granted environmental approval by the Western Australia Minister of Environment in January 2017 following a robust and fully compliant environmental assessment process. An application to set aside the former Minister’s decision was rejected by the Supreme Court in February 2018. The appeal to the Western Australia Court of Appeal seeking to overturn this ruling was heard on March 5, 2019 and dismissed today.

The appeal was lodged by the Environmental Defenders Office on behalf of the Conservation Council of Western Australia and a small number of traditional owners. It did not challenge the merits of the environmental assessment, but rather disputed the Environmental Protection Act 1986 (EPA) procedure and the ability of the Minister of Environment to make approval decisions.

The Yeelirrie project also recently received environmental approval from the Federal Department of Environment and Energy. Any decisions to advance Cameco Australia’s projects in Western Australia will depend upon market conditions.

Profile

Cameco Australia Pty Ltd., a subsidiary of Cameco Corporation, has been exploring for uranium in Australia since 1996 and is involved in a number of projects across the country, including two of Australia’s largest undeveloped uranium deposits, Kintyre and Yeelirrie. Cameco is one of the world’s largest providers of uranium fuel. Cameco’s competitive position is based on its controlling ownership of the world’s largest high-grade reserves and low-cost operations. Cameco’s uranium products are used to generate clean electricity in nuclear power plants around the world. Cameco’s shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges. Cameco’s head office is in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Inquiries:
Simon Williamson
General Manager
Cameco Australia, 0417 919 235