Uranium miner Energy Resources of Australia has not given up hope its Jabiluka mining lease will be extended, despite a Northern Territory government ruling that raised opponents’ hopes they are about to win their three-decade battle against the mine.

Jabiluka contains a world-class uranium deposit near Kakadu National Park, but it is also a sacred site for the Mirarr traditional owners, who blockaded the site with the help of rock band Midnight Oil in 1998 and have continued to oppose development.