Status
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Background
Proponent: VHM Limited
VHM Limited proposes to develop the Goschen Mineral Sands and Rare Earths project which has an approximate area of 8,300 hectares and is located approximately 20 kilometres south of Swan Hill.
The Goschen deposit contains approximately 300 million tonnes (Mt) of ore and is proposed to produce a zircon and rutile concentrate, titanium concentrate and a rare earth concentrate.
The proposal includes the development of a mineral sands mine, mining unit plant, wet concentrator plant, interim tailings storage facility (TSF), solar drying beds for tailings, slurry pipelines to transfer ore from pits to the processing facilities and additional site infrastructure (i.e. site office, warehouse and workshop facilities, loading facilities and fuel storage).
Proposed mining methods involve open pit mining to extract approximately 5 million tonnes of ore per annum, increasing to 10 Mtpa over a projected mine life of 30 years. Mine products are proposed to be transported via road or by rail for export overseas.
It is anticipated that between 3 GL to 5.5 GL per annum will be required for the first few years of mining and will be reduced once tailings water is available for reuse.
Public review and Inquiry
Consultation plan
VHM Limited has prepared a communications and consultation plan for the EES, outlining the opportunities and approaches for its community engagement during the preparation of the EES.
The plan may be updated as required during the preparation of the EES. If the plan changes, the updated version will be posted on this page.
Scoping requirements
The Department has prepared scoping requirements for the Environment Effects Statement (EES). The scoping requirements set out the matters to be investigated and documented in the EES.
Draft scoping requirements for this EES were on public exhibition between April and May 2019.
After considering public submissions on the draft scoping requirements, the Minister for Planning issued final scoping requirements in May 2019.
Minister's decision on referral
On 10 October 2018 the Minister for Planning required VHM Exploration (now known as VHM Limited) to prepare an Environment Effects Statement (EES) under the Environment Effects Act 1978 to assess the potential environmental effects of the project.
Project contact
If you have any questions or feedback, please get in touch via the contact details below.
Proposed Goschen Mineral Sands and Rare Earths Project
VHM Exploration
✉ Email: community@vhmltd.com.au
Page last updated: 20/07/23