Pisolite Hills Project

The proponent for the Pisolite Hills Project is Cape Alumina Pty Ltd. The project would involve the development of a greenfield bauxite mine producing eight to twelve million tonnes of run of mine bauxite ore per year for export through a loading facilty in Port Musgrave. The project site (Mining Lease Application 20572, 20573 & 20574 & EPM 15984) is located approximately 50 km north-east of Weipa on the western side of Cape York Peninsula in far north Queensland. The proposed Pisolite Hills Mine would use open cut methods to extract the bauxite. The mined ore would be crushed and washed prior to conveying by truck 34 km to a stockpile and barge loading facility to be located on Port Musgrave. Barges would be used to transfer the ore to ships moored in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Water requirements for the project would be between 3,500 to 6,000ML per year and could be sourced from the Wenlock River, deep groundwater bores and dams. A dedicated tailings storage facility may be required on the mine site. The mine is expected to operate for 10 to 15 years.

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth)

The project is a controlled action under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The State's EIS process has been accredited for the assessment under Part 8 of the EPBC Act in accordance with the Bilateral Agreement between the Commonwealth of Australia and the State of Queensland (2004). The controlling provisions are sections 18 and 18A (Listed threatened species and communities), sections 20 and 20A (listed migratory species), and sections 23 and 24A (Commonwealth Marine Areas).

The process for the assessment of the Pisolite Hills Project is as follows:

The final terms of reference for the EIS have been issued to the proponent, who will now prepare the draft EIS. The department's chief executive will invite written submissions from any person in relation to the draft EIS in due course. In the meantime, copies of currently available public documents can be obtained by accessing the links below:

• Terms of reference
• Initial advice statement describing the project
• Public notice (s46 EP Act)

For further information about the EIS process for the Pisolite Hills Project please contact the EIS Co-ordinator on telephone (07) 3227 6446.

Last updated: 03 April 2009

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