By David Winning
SYDNEY--Energy Resources of Australia Ltd. (ERA.AU) said uranium
output surged 40% last year after the company targeted higher-grade
ore at its flagship Ranger mine in Australia's Northern
Territory.
Production of 3,710 metric tons in 2012 was at the top end of
guidance, the mining company majority-owned by Rio Tinto PLC
(RIO.AU) said in a statement Thursday. ERA had forecast output of
between 3,500 and 3,700 tons of uranium, a key fuel used in
generating nuclear power.
The producer's output was significantly hurt in 2011 by the
suspension of ore processing due to wet weather. Uranium output
fell 1% to 1,227 tons in the October-to-December period of 2012,
ERA said, compared with the previous three months.
-By David Winning, Dow Jones Newswires; +61-2-82724688;
david.winning@dowjones.com
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