High oil prices have South Australian companies rushing to obtaine uranium exploration licenses, according to a recent Sunday Mail article, by Chris Pippos.
URANIUM exploration is booming in South Australia as the State Government pushes for more mines, saying that not to allow them would be akin to "the Saudi Arabians keeping their oil in the ground".
New figures show 25 Australian and international companies have 86 uranium exploration licences in SA – an increase of about 100 per cent in three years.
And a further 30 licence applications are being considered.
However, uranium opponents say the Government has wasted more than $1 million of taxpayer dollars to fund the boom and help companies drill for uranium.
The uranium industry is now rushing to peg out sites in the state's north and cash in on the threat posed by high oil prices.
SA Mineral Resources Minister Paul Holloway said SA would expand its number of uranium mines some time about 2010 if Labor's three-mine uranium policy was overturned at the party's 2007 national conference.
"We can't avoid it – it would be like the Saudi Arabians keeping their oil in the ground," Mr Holloway said.
"I think it's inevitable the policy on uranium will be changed.
"I think that, certainly at this stage, the indications are that the world could take all the uranium that we could develop in the near future.
URANIUM exploration is booming in South Australia as the State Government pushes for more mines, saying that not to allow them would be akin to "the Saudi Arabians keeping their oil in the ground".
New figures show 25 Australian and international companies have 86 uranium exploration licences in SA – an increase of about 100 per cent in three years.
And a further 30 licence applications are being considered.
However, uranium opponents say the Government has wasted more than $1 million of taxpayer dollars to fund the boom and help companies drill for uranium.
The uranium industry is now rushing to peg out sites in the state's north and cash in on the threat posed by high oil prices.
SA Mineral Resources Minister Paul Holloway said SA would expand its number of uranium mines some time about 2010 if Labor's three-mine uranium policy was overturned at the party's 2007 national conference.
"We can't avoid it – it would be like the Saudi Arabians keeping their oil in the ground," Mr Holloway said.
"I think it's inevitable the policy on uranium will be changed.
"I think that, certainly at this stage, the indications are that the world could take all the uranium that we could develop in the near future.
