The Ranger Uranium Mine is surrounded by Kakadu National Park, in the Northern Territory of Australia, 230 km east of Darwin. The orebody was discovered in 1969, and the mine commenced operation in 1980, reaching full production of uranium oxide in 1981. It is operated by Energy Resources of Australia, a 68% subsidiary of Rio Tinto Group.
Uranium mined at Ranger is sold for use in nuclear power stations in Japan, South Korea, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden and the United States.
The original orebody was completely mined out by the end of 1995, although some ore remains stockpiled. A second orebody ("Ranger 3") began mining in 1997. Both have been open-pit mines.
Read more about Ranger Uranium Mine: Discovery and Operation of The Mine, Ore Processing, Environmental Issues, Safety Breaches and Controversy