General News
28 November, 2024
Mine company details Minyip extraction plan
Astron Corporation has shared further details of its plan to extract rare-earth minerals from the proposed Donald Mineral Sands (DMS) mine at Minyip.
"DMS will export about 9,000 tonnes of rare earth element concentrate (REEC) annually," a company spokesperson told the Warracknabeal Herald on last week.
"The trace uranium content – an unextracted component within the REEC – is about 29 tonnes of that, (9,000 tonnes) or 0.32 per cent, which is a fraction," they said.
"Uranium traditionally occurs naturally in both mineral sands and rare earths."
"We're exporting HMC (heavy mineral sands) and REEC as other Australian mineral sands mining companies do."
"We, like they, will abide by all relevant legislation.
"The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources will scrutinise the process and all shipments."
"We will comply fully with all guidelines set by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, the Commonwealth Government radiation regulator."
"The presence of trace elements in mineral sands mining is well-understood and strictly regulated."
The spokesperson said the operation at Minyip would also, "comply with the Nuclear Activities (Prohibitions) Act 1983".
The primary interest of US company Energy Fuels – which invested $183 million in Astron in June – lay in the mine's REEC, Astron's spokesperson said.
"DMS attributed no value to the REEC uranium component in the joint-venture pricing agreement."
"The trace uranium present in our rare earth elements concentrate is incidental to our primary mining operation."
"Energy Fuels will extract uranium in America, a secondary concern to REEC, for peaceful, beneficial purposes only [and] convert the uranium extracted into uranium oxide for carbon-free nuclear energy," the spokesperson said.
A definite timeline for construction of the mine is yet to be confirmed as the company awaits Victorian Government approval of its work plan.
Since the proposed mine project was first announced, Astron has revised the projected lifespan of the site down from "at least 58 years" to 42 years.