Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) has announced it will adopt a program management approach for the Ranger Rehabilitation Project.
It follows a previous report that additional studies are needed for the 2022 Ranger Rehabilitation Feasibility Study, previously expected to be completed by 2023.
According to the company, the approach will strive to ensure that each step of the project can achieve suitable levels of certainty through reliable research, estimates, and costs going forward.
The final 2022 Feasibility Study is now expected to be delivered in October 2023. In keeping with the shift to a program management approach, the 2022 Feasibility Study will address the rehabilitation requirements on components where sufficient assurance can be established, including a revised estimated schedule and cost, through September 2027. Following receipt of the final 2022 Feasibility Study findings, ERA will provide an update to the market in October. Following that, there will be a period of dialogue with relevant stakeholders on the findings.
At this time, ERA said it is unable to confirm the estimated project schedule and total rehabilitation costs due to uncertainties such as the final 2022 feasibility study outcome, additional studies, and further work to verify and mitigate the estimated costs identified in those studies.
However, ERA currently anticipates that total rehabilitation expenditures would be significantly higher than the previously predicted range of $1.6 billion to $2.2 billion. Furthermore, the Ranger Rehabilitation Project’s final completion date will also be delayed.
