Extra time needed to lay out uranium plan: miner

A junior exploration company says it will need more time to develop a plan for a uranium mine proposed for coastal Labrador.

Aurora Energy had planned to complete a submission to Newfoundland and Labrador's Environment Department by the end of 2007.

The company now says the project which is planned for an area about 35 kilometres south of Postville will not be registered until the second quarter of this year.

Terry Rice, who heads a citizens' uranium committee in nearby Makkovik, said his group feels vindicated by the delay.

"We just feel that when they were saying that they were planning on registering the project by the end of 2007, that it was a little premature," Rice said.

"[The proponents] don't have a plan in place, which is what we've been stressing all along."

Aurora's plans to develop a uranium mine have divided opinion in the largely Inuit communities of Postville and Makkovik, with some welcoming the potential jobs and industrial benefits and others anxious about long-term environmental effects.

Aurora said it will use the coming weeks to develop a more comprehensive picture of what a uranium mine would look like. It also wants to do further engineering work on how to contain radioactive waste.

The statement will also involve a socio-economic impact study on Postville and Makkovik.