Energy Resources Australia Ltd. (ERA.AU) said Wednesday uranium output during the first quarter of 2009 had fallen 26% on the fourth quarter of 2008 to 1,214 metric tons of uranium oxide.

The drop in output - which was 9% lower on the same period last year - was due to lower head grades and lower mill recovery at the company's Ranger mine in Australia's Northern Territory.

Work on the Ranger expansion project continues and focuses on the development of a heap leach facility to extract 15,000 to 20,000 tons of uranium oxide contained in low grade mineralized material both in situ and on stockpile, ERA said in a statement.

The company applied for statutory approval of a heap leach facility at Ranger on March 16.

Rio Tinto Ltd. has a 68.4% stake in ERA.

-By Elisabeth Behrmann, Dow Jones Newswires;

61-2-8272-4689 elisabeth.behrmann@dowjones.com
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