Wimmera rare earth mine approved by state government

A proposed rare earths mine which covers 2500ha of arable farmland has been approved, despite concerns from local farmers.

A proposed rare earths mine, which will cover 2500ha of arable farmland in Victoria’s Wimmera region, has been given the green light by the state government.

In an announcement to the ASX on Wednesday, Aston Limited said their Donald Rare Earth and Mineral Sands Project had been approved by the Victorian Government — the final major regulatory milestone of the project.

The rare earths mine is a joint venture between Astron Corporation Ltd and US critical minerals company Energy Fuels Inc, who poured in $183m to help fund the development last year.

Rare earth elements, including neodymium and praseodymium, are used to build magnets for wind turbines and electric vehicles. Astron plans to run a 7.5 million tonne a year mining operation at Donald, producing 200,000 to 250,000 tonnes per year of heavy mineral concentrate and about 7000 to 8000 tonnes a year of rare earth element concentrate.

Last year farmers drove trucks, utes, tractors and banners through Donald to protest the proposed project as Astron held community information sessions.

More than 30 farmers attended the sessions last year, including local landholders whose farms sit within Astron’s retention licence.

Located between Minyip and Donald in Victoria’s west, the project’s mining licence spans 2500ha in the region, with a further 40,000 hectares of mainly agricultural land under exploration.

In 2023 Astron owned four blocks of arable, mixed farmland for a total of 829ha within their mining licence, plus two further properties totalling about 790ha to be purchased (or agreed land use terms) for operations to begin.

“We are pleased to receive the Victorian Government’s approval for our Work Plan. It is the result of years of planning, environmental assessment, and community engagement,” Donald Mineral Sands managing director Tiger Brown said.

“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.”

The project has a Phase One lifespan of 42 years, which will see rare earths concentrate from the Donald site shipped to Energy Fuels’ White Mesa Mill processing facility.

Originally published as Wimmera rare earth mine approved by state government