SYDNEY : Australia's largest state Monday lifted a ban on uranium mining, paving the way for new projects throughout the vast resource-rich region under its new conservative-led government.

Western Australia state Premier Colin Barnett, who was elected in September, said a de facto ban on mining the nuclear fuel had officially been scrapped.

"It is now open to the mining industry in this state, if they so wish to proceed with plans to develop the uranium industry," he told reporters.

"It's significant Australia has the largest reserves of uranium of any country in the world and is second only to Canada as the major producer and exporter of uranium."

The previous Labor government had excluded uranium from all mining and exploration leases since June 2002 and had vowed to enshrine a ban on mining yellowcake in law if re-elected.

Barnett, who leads the state's conservative Liberal Party, had pledged to open up uranium mining to raise funds for development projects as part of a deal that enabled him to form a government with the minority National Party.

He said Monday he expected it would take at least three years before the first uranium mine would be opened.

Western Australia has enjoyed a boom driven by demand for its iron ore, natural gas and other resources from rapidly growing Asian nations and Barnett has said he intends to "make more of the economic boom before it runs out of steam."

Only three uranium mines operate in the country, although several more have been proposed, including in Western Australia.

- AFP/ms