Resources Victoria has approved a mining work plan for Astron Corporation's Donald Mineral Sands Project, allowing the company to make a final investment decision and progress towards production.
Resources Victoria is helping to ensure that Victoria's critical minerals are available to help the state's transition to renewable energy and provide a boost to regional economic growth.
The work plan approval allows Astron to mine 7.5 million tonnes of mineral sands per year for 19 years. Mining will target ilmenite, monazite, rare earth elements, rutile and zircon, vital materials that support manufacturing of a range of products including batteries and the electricity-generating magnets in wind turbines.
Astron is required to progressively rehabilitate the site, ensuring the land returned to a productive state.
For the life of the project, the company must monitor air quality at the site and publish real-time dust level data on its website, in a format that can be easily accessible and understood.
The Victorian 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 high-value materials.
