A new vanadium mine is one step closer to becoming a reality for Queensland after terms of reference for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) were finalised.
The $242.2 million project is proposed for a site located 45km north-west of Richmond, in the North West Minerals province.
Richmond Vanadium Technology (RVT) is the project proponent and expects the project will create up to 100 construction jobs and 200 ongoing operations jobs over 25 years.
The EIS terms of reference were finalised this week after a six-week public consultation period. RVT will now prepare a draft EIS.
The Coordinator-General will call for public submissions on the draft EIS, allowing community members to have their say on how the project should be managed.
“Queensland’s North West Minerals Province is one of the world’s richest mineral producing areas and will support Queensland production of critical minerals for the global renewable energy sector,” Deputy Premier Steven Miles said.
“The Richmond-Julia Creek Vanadium project is one of the exciting proposals for the development of the North West Minerals Province.”
RVT has estimated that the mine would extract 4.2 million tonnes of vanadium ore annually, which would be processed on site to annually produce 790,000 tonnes of vanadium concentrate.
“Vanadium is in worldwide demand for manufacturing products such as redox flow batteries that can be built on a large scale to power homes and businesses over longer periods,” Resources Minister Scott Stewart said.
“There are huge opportunities to grow production of critical minerals in the North West Minerals Province and our investment in Copperstring 2032 and the Queensland Resources Common User Facility will support companies like Richmond Vanadium Technology.”