By Lauren Henry

Resources Victoria’s approval of a work plan for Astron Corporation’s Donald Rare Earth and Mineral Sands Project marked a significant step in giving the green light to construct one of the world’s largest rare-earth mines, 

The State Government work plan approval will enable the mining of 7.5 million tonnes of mineral sands each year for 19 years. 

Operations will include the mining of rare-earth elements ilmenite, monazite, rutile and zircon, which help manufacture a range of products including batteries and magnets in wind turbines

The Donald mine is located between Minyip and Donald, about 15 kilometres east of Minyip, off Minyip-Rich Avon Road, on the mining licence area MIN5532 – an area where mineral sand deposits were first discovered in the 1980s. The Donald Project, trading as Donald Mineral Sands, DMS, is a joint venture between Astron Corporation and United States critical minerals company Energy Fuels Inc.

The work plan details the mining methods and sequencing across the 1143-hectare work plan, within the overall 2778-hectare site; processing operations and facilities layout; environmental management strategies, including for dust, noise, water, and rehabilitation; detailed soil and landform-management protocols, surface and groundwater management approaches; community engagement commitments; and progressive rehabilitation method.

But the work plan approval has angered and upset affected and surrounding landowners, who found out about the approval via the media – not Astron or the government – last week.

Ryan Milgate, whose farm neighbours the land set to be mined and is a member of the Dunmunkle Land Protection Group, DLPG, said it was the biggest announcement since the Donald Project’s Environmental Effects Statement, EES, approval in 2008. He said Astron had failed to directly notify those most affected.

“ It’s probably a poor analogy, but it’s kind of like you’ve had the test and you’re awaiting a diagnosis and you think it’s cancer, but it’s not until you really get told, and this is kind of what it is to these people,” he said.

“To find out secondhand that their lives are going to change forever is just absolutely disgusting.”

Mr Milgate, also Victorian Farmers Federation grains president, said he and many others in the community were concerned about the environmental effects – dust, radiation, noise and water use – as well as the impact of more trucks on local roads.

“It should be going on rail, at the railing siding at Minyip, is my view. It shouldn’t be going on local roads,” he said.

“We’ve got an intermodal freight hub designed to get it off roads in the Wimmera at Dooen and we’ve got one company who wants to dig it up and the other one wants to clog it up with mineral sands.”

Mr Milgate said rehabilitation of the land was a key concern of the community, as was the extra pressure on services such as healthcare.

“We don’t believe rehabilitation can be done. And looking at Douglas and Ouyen – we’ve gone and seen it for ourselves with our own eyes and it hasn’t been done,” he said.

“And in terms of community benefit, if you ask Balmoral what mining has brought to their town, they’ll say heartache.”

Mr Milgate said the mine would use water from the Wimmera-Mallee Pipeline, which DMS paid an entitlement for in 2012.

“ I don’t think it passes the test and the community benefit for what they’re going to do with it,” he said.

“Things have probably changed a bit since then too … even the EES was done in 2008 – community expectations has changed a lot in 15 years.”

DMS managing director Tiger Brown said the work plan marked the final major regulatory approval required to allow the construction and operation of phase one of the project.

“It is the result of years of  planning, environmental assessment, and community engagement,” he said.

“It enables the finalisation of critical activities, including arrangements for debt and equity financing, before a capital development submission is made to the Astron board and the board of the Donald Project Joint Venture.

“We are committed to responsible environmental practice in the development and operation of the Donald Project – and excited for the regional  growth, benefits, and opportunities it will generate over the decades.”

Energy Fuels came on board last year, committing to invest a total of $183-million for a 49 per cent interest in the project.

The partnership is expected to provide Energy Fuels with a low-cost and long-term supply of monazite and xenotime-bearing mineral concentrate, which will be exported to the USA for processing into high-purity separated rare-earth elements at the company’s White Mesa Mill in Utah. 

Energy Fuels president and chief executive Mark Chalmers said Energy Fuels and Astron were currently working towards a financial investment decision, FID, for the project, which could be made as early as the end of 2025. 

Mr Chalmers said the FID and development of the project could be significantly accelerated with USA and Australian government support. 

“The work plan approval for the Donald Project is significant as it moves us one step closer to creating an important link between the United States and Australia on rare earths and critical minerals,” he said.

“We believe the Donald Project is exceptional, as it contains large quantities of the ‘light’, ‘mid’ and ‘heavy’ rare earth oxides needed for a variety of commercial, clean energy and defence technologies.”

Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio said the approved work plan addressed recommendations from the Environmental Effects Statement, EES, process, completed in 2008.

The company is required to progressively rehabilitate the mine, ensuring the land is restored and returned to a productive state. 

For the life of the project, a condition has been included to ensure the company monitors air quality at the site and publish real-time dust level data on its website.

Launched as part of the Economic Growth Statement, the Critical Minerals Roadmap is helping drive development of the state’s mineral resources while ensuring the community is engaged throughout the life of the projects by companies awarded the rights to extract state-owned minerals.

Ms D’Ambrosio said developing minerals was crucial to energy transition as it helped provide the materials needed for solar panels, wind turbines and batteries and opened up new supply-chain opportunities for Victoria. 

“We’re kick-starting Victoria’s critical minerals boom with the approval of the first works plan for one of the state’s most significant mine sites in decades, providing the essential minerals we need for our renewable energy transition,” she said.

 “All mining processes in Victoria are heavily regulated and the safety of the community, environment and infrastructure is built into key approvals such as the work plan for the Donald Mineral Sands Project.”

Mr Milgate said the community, and DPLG would keep DMS under ‘constant scrutiny’.

“We’ll be blowing the whistle every time. They can’t just come here and operate and do whatever they like, so we’ll be holding them to account as best we can,” he said.

“It wouldn’t surprise me in any way, shape or form if, before they even dig a grain of sand here, it’ll get sold – there’ll be some takeover bid and they’ll make a heap of money and some mining company will buy it and take it on.

“ They still haven’t got any power there. They still haven’t got any water there and they still haven’t fixed the road out there, which is part of the condition, so they’ve still got a long way to go.” 

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