General News
29 January, 2024
Mine awaits government response mid-year
Astron Corporation is $180 million closer to its goal of creating a globally significant rare-earth minerals mine between Minyip and Donald.
Astron Corporation is $180 million closer to its goal of creating a globally significant rare-earth minerals mine between Minyip and Donald.
The corporation now has a memorandum of understanding with US company Energy Fuels Resources to jointly develop the Donald Rare Earth and Mineral Sands Project.
Energy Fuels will invest $180 million to take ownership of rare-earth products, expected to form about 10 per cent of the mined products but worth about 50 per cent of the site's total income.
This does not include the mineral sands.
Astron said the mine would provide a long-term and lucrative source of rare-earth minerals.
These are in high demand as they are used in everyday items across the world.
The mined products will be trucked to Dooen, then taken by rail to other destinations.
Parent company Astron, owned by a New Zealand family, has 650 shareholders, 600 of whom are Australian.
When operational, the Donald Rare Earths and Mineral Sands Project will be one of the largest projects of its type outside China and a significant contributor to the global supply chain.
Donald Mineral Sands environment and community officer Paul Atherton said mine officials had submitted a workplan to the Victorian Government's Earth Resources Regulator and expected to receive a response about mid-year.
Mr Atherton said the regulator would decide which government departments were responsible for each aspect of the project.
"Donald Mineral Sands will be in operation as soon as it passes all the pre-mining red tape," Mr Atherton said.
One is issue is that the Environmental Effects Statement was approved in 2008 and some rules and regulations have since changed.
It was necessary for the mine to keep in step with current regulations, Mr Atherton said.
He said the mine's first stage would cover about 1100 hectares, involving just two landowners.
"We are still in negotiations to lease land for a site for accommodation," he said.
"Construction of the site will take about 18 months and will be done by outside contractors.
"We want people who live in the region or want to return to the region, not fly-in-fly-out workers, and we expect Wimmera expats to return."
Jobs up for grabs for about 80 permanent employees include machinery operators, plant and equipment maintenance staff, environmental planners and monitors, engineers and people with mining skills such as geologists and metallurgists.
The company has already negotiated leasing contracts with two landowners to secure stage one of the develoment.
Mr Atherton said he did not anticipate issues with neighbouring landowners which might lead to a VCAT hearing, as has happened with the WIM Resource Avonbank mine, northeast of Horsham.