General News
18 June, 2023
Sands mine aiming for local workforce
Astron Corporation is buoyed by community support for its planned rare-earth minerals mine between Minyip and Donald, expected to earn $205 million annually for about 40 years. Donald Mineral Sands mine will function 24 hours a day, seven days...
Astron Corporation is buoyed by community support for its planned rare-earth minerals mine between Minyip and Donald, expected to earn $205 million annually for about 40 years.
Donald Mineral Sands mine will function 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and support 150 full-time-equivalent jobs.
Community liaison officer Paul Atherton said the company planned to build a 60-bed accommodation centre for workers involved in the mine's initial stages.
A mineral separations plant was the first priority.
"We don't plan to have fly-in fly-out workers but want our workers to be from the local area or move here," Mr Atherton said.
"Getting staff initially could be difficult but we're getting enquiries from possible workers.
"Most jobs aren't for heavy machinery drivers but management, mineral separation plant operators, engineers or geologists."
The Australian-owned mining company is working on an area of land in Yarriambiack Shire about 15 kilometres east of Minyip.
Small sections are in Buloke and Northern Grampians shires.
Mr Atherton said the company hoped to have Earth Resources Regulation approval for its work plan by the end of the calendar year.
This would allow mine owners to proceed to the next step: raising $400 million.
Mining is planned to start towards the end of 2025.
Mr Atherton said the company was also working towards upgrading a power line between Horsham sub-station on Williams Road and the mine, a road from the mine to allow heavy traffic to bypass Minyip and a pipeline from Taylors Lake east of Horsham.
The company plans to freight rare earth minerals by truck to Wimmera Intermodal Dooen Freight Terminal, from where they will be moved by train to export ports and possibly to a new extracting plant in Western Australia.
Heavy mineral concentrate will probably leave the port through Geelong.
Mr Atherton said Astron would initially work in a "moving hole concept" in a 2000-hectare area in cells measuring 500 metres by 250 metres.
He said the ore contained 17 elements called "rare earths" which were used extensively in technology.
These represented 10 per cent of the ore volume but 50 per cent of the income.
"Five years ago these rare earths were considered waste," he said.
"But now, they're considered very valuable and used extensively in the production of technology products."