Woodside Petroleum executive Jeroen Buren has been named acting president of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia, filling the role left vacant by Brian Reilly, who has moved to Canada to take on a new role with Cameco.
The state government has approved Canadian miner Cameco's proposed Yeelirrie uranium mine in the Goldfields, despite its failure to meet one of nine Environmental Protection Authority recommendations.
The environmental watchdog has recommended rejection of a new uranium mine in the Goldfields after the proposal failed to meet one of nine strict factors.
Western Australia is another step towards developing a uranium export industry, with Canadian giant Cameco receiving federal environmental approval at its Kintyre deposit in the East Pilbara.
Amid the gloom, WA has some positive resources stories to tell,with uranium developers buoyed by improving news, investment certainty guaranteed around royalties rates - for now - and nickel reappearing as a sturdy performer.
Western Australia's uranium explorers are in somewhat of a holding pattern as they wait for a significant lift in prices for the controversial commodity.
Nuclear energy has been under a cloud since the Fukushima reactor disaster in Japan last year, uranium prices have remained well off their highs and public confidence in nuclear power is weak but u
