Recent legislative changes in NSW have brought renewed attention to Australia’s uranium sector, an industry already gaining traction amid strengthening global demand.
Australia’s uranium sector is re-entering the global spotlight as growing demand for energy security and lower-emissions power generation reshapes international critical minerals markets.
With the country holding the world’s largest known recoverable uranium reserves and momentum building behind new projects, policy discussions and in-situ recovery (ISR) developments, attention is increasingly turning to how Australia can expand its role in supplying uranium to global markets.
This broader momentum is now feeding into renewed policy debate at a state level, particularly in New South Wales.
The state is closer than it has been in nearly four decades to reopening the door to uranium mining, after the Uranium Mining and Nuclear Facilities (Prohibition) Repeal Bill 2025 passed the state’s Legislative Council in May. The bill seeks to repeal the Uranium Mining and Nuclear Facilities (Prohibition) 1986, the legislative framework that has blocked uranium mining and nuclear facility development in NSW.
The bill would also remove Section 10A of the Mining Act 1992, which has prevented the granting of mining authorisations for uranium projects in the state.
While the repeal would not automatically pave the way for immediate uranium production, it would remove the foundational legal barrier that has long prevented NSW from participating in Australia’s uranium sector.
For the country’s mining industry, the significance could extend well beyond state borders.
Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) chief executive officer Tania Constable said the new bill recognises the need for Australia to use its uranium assets to support global zero-emissions energy and highly skilled local jobs through responsible mining.
“The bill aims to repeal the original prohibitions from 1986,” Constable said.
“Forty years on, the world is taking a very different view of nuclear energy, with countries representing approximately 70 per cent of global GDP [gross domestic product] looking to nuclear energy and Australia’s uranium to meet their energy security needs and help decarbonise their electricity grids.”
Global demand reshapes uranium outlook
The renewed momentum comes as global demand for uranium continues to strengthen, with countries increasingly turning to nuclear energy to support decarbonisation and long-term energy security.
During a recent visit to Australia, International Energy Agency (IEA) executive director Faith Birol identified uranium as a key opportunity for the country.
“Australia can be a major uranium supplier,” he said. “Make the most out of uranium reserves you have.”
Those comments reflect something of a growing global shift towards nuclear energy as countries search for reliable low-emissions power sources capable of supporting renewable-heavy energy grids.
The changing landscape is placing renewed focus on Australia’s uranium sector and its position as home to the world’s largest known resources. Australia holds about one-third of the world’s recoverable uranium reserves, with the majority concentrated in South Australia.
SA has been the benchmark for uranium mining in the country for decades, supported by established operations, regulatory certainty and long-term investment in the sector.
At the centre of the state’s uranium industry is BHP’s Olympic Dam operation, which is among of the world’s largest known uranium deposits and one of Australia’s most significant mining assets.
SA is also home to the Beverley and Four Mile operations in the Frome Basin, where ISR mining methods have helped demonstrate the commercial viability of uranium extraction within Australia’s regulatory framework.
ISR mining has attracted growing global attention because of its smaller footprint compared to conventional open-cut mining methods. Rather than removing large volumes of rock, ISR circulates solutions through underground orebodies to recover uranium with reduced surface disturbance.
SA’s long-running uranium sector has also helped establish workforce capability, supply chains and regional employment opportunities extending into nearby communities, including Broken Hill, Australia’s longest-lived mining city, in western NSW.
Constable believes SA’s uranium sector provides a strong example of how the industry can operate within Australia.
“In the consideration of the bill by the NSW Legislative Assembly, the MCA encourages MLAs [Members of the Legislative Assembly] to closely examine the positive track record of uranium mining in SA, which has developed a world-class regulatory framework that protects the community and the environment,” she said.
The repeal bill could open a new chapter for uranium in NSW.
While the state partially opened the door to uranium exploration in 2012 through the Mining Legislation Amendment (Uranium Exploration) Act, commercial uranium extraction has remained off limits.
However, these reforms allowed exploration companies to build a stronger understanding of the state’s uranium potential, with geological knowledge and resource definition work steadily expanding over the past decade.
If the new repeal legislation ultimately passes the NSW Legislative Assembly and receives royal assent, it could position the state to participate more directly in a rapidly growing global uranium market.
While Australian uranium mining is not prohibited at a federal level, states have historically adopted different approaches to the commodity, creating varying regulatory environments across the country.
That policy certainty has become increasingly important as uranium demand strengthens internationally.
Governments across Europe, Asia and North America are revisiting nuclear energy as part of long-term decarbonisation strategies, while western nations are also seeking to diversify uranium supply chains away from Russia and Kazakhstan.
As a result, uranium is increasingly being viewed not only as an energy commodity but as a strategically important resource within the broader global energy transition.
And Australia’s uranium sector is already working to respond to that growing demand.
Industry response gains pace
Alligator Energy recently reported strong field recovery trial results from its Samphire uranium project in SA, with the company successfully extracting uranium from its first ISR well pattern. The company achieved its target of 70 per cent recovery while also recording flow rates above typical global ISR benchmarks, highlighting strong flow rates through the mineralised zone.
Uranium grades in solution also exceeded expectations, averaging 115 milligrams per litre uranium oxide, placing the project at the upper end of the global ISR ranges.
Alligator chief executive officer Andrea Marsland-Smith believes the results mark an important step in advancing the project.
“We are highly encouraged by the field performance of our first test pattern as our first major de-risking milestone, particularly the alignment with our model assumptions and ISR benchmarks at this stage,” she said.
“Achieving our target of 70 per cent recovery in the time we had allocated to run the test is a testament to the credible science behind our assumptions and the team’s operating experience.”
Alligator said the results have boosted confidence in ISR uranium extraction at Samphire and supported the project’s broader development pathway.
A second pattern trial is expected to begin shortly, targeting a lower-grade and less permeable section at the edge of the mineralised system. Results from the next phase are expected in the third quarter of 2026 and will help refine future wellfield design and feasibility work.
The momentum building across Australia’s uranium sector reflects broader confidence in the commodity’s long-term outlook.
For NSW, the repeal debate remains about more than simply changing legislation. While the repeal bill would mark a significant shift for the state, future uranium developments would progress through Australia’s established regulatory and project development frameworks.
For the mining industry, the legislation signals growing momentum behind uranium as demand grows.
The legislation also reflects a larger shift in how uranium is being viewed internationally.
Once considered politically difficult in many jurisdictions, uranium is increasingly being repositioned as a critical mineral capable of supporting lower-emissions energy strengthened long-term energy reliability.
Australia’s existing export relationships, established mining capability and world-leading uranium reserves place the country in a strong position.
After decades on the sidelines, NSW may now be preparing to play a larger role in that future.
This feature appeared in the June 2026 issue of Australian Mining magazine.
