The Queensland government has finalised the terms of reference for the environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed A$242.2-million Richmond vanadium mine.
ASX-listed Richmond Vanadium Technology (RVT) expects the project will create up to 100 construction jobs and 200 ongoing operational jobs, over 25 years, with the company planning to extract up to 4.2-million tonnes yearly of vanadium ore, which will be processed onsite to produce 790 000 t/y of vanadium concentrate.
The Richmond-Julia Creek vanadium project was declared a coordinated project in May 2022.
RVT will now prepare a draft EIS responding to the terms of reference, which requires rigorous assessment of social, economic and environmental impacts.
“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 on Thursday.
“The Richmond-Julia Creek vanadium project is one of the exciting proposals for the development of the North West Minerals Province and supports the government’s landmark Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan and supports the Queensland Battery Industry Strategy.
Resources Minister Scott Stewart said vanadium was 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.
“The government is strongly supporting the development of a vanadium mining, processing and manufacturing industry in Queensland.
“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 RVT.”
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