Mount Oxide Project

Project summary
Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Queensland)
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth)
Public notification of final Terms of Reference (TOR)
Further information

Project summary

The proponent for the Mount Oxide Mining Project is Mount Oxide Pty Ltd. The project would involve open-cut mining of approximately 1.5 million tonnes a year of run-of-mine copper bearing ore to produce approximately 15-25 kilotonnes of copper concentrate a year. The project site is located approximately 120 kilometres north of Mt Isa in north-west Queensland. The relevant mining tenure is a granted Exploration Permit Minerals (EPM) 10313.

The Mount Oxide Mine operated intermittently from 1927 until 1971 and included both open-pit and underground mining. Ore from underground mining was sent to Chillagoe and Mt Isa; and from the open-pit to Gunpowder at various times. In the past, pumping of acid mixed solution from underground mine and precipitation of copper were also carried out on the site. The proposed project site includes disused mine workings, including an open-pit void, waste rock dumps, heap leach pads, water storage, airstrip and accommodation facilities.

Major elements of the proposed project include:

a 60 hectare open-pit at the end of mining
a 6 hectare run-of-mine (ROM) storage pad and mine infrastructure
a 15 hectare on-site processing plant to produce copper concentrate and related infrastructure
a 260 hectare waste rock dump and tailings store facility
20 hectares of haul roads
upgrading of Gunpowder Road
a 50 hectare fresh water dam
a 5 hectare support infrastructure
accommodation camp covering 10 hectares
a 10 hectare borrow pit
airstrip
a 5 hectare exploration area
water supply pipeline to the project site
a possible high voltage power line from Mica Creek power station.

The mined ore would be hauled to the on-site processing plant or to a processing facility located in the Mt Isa region. If ore is not processed on-site, copper ore would be hauled via the Gunpowder route to a processing facility in the Mt Isa region. If the ore is processed on-site, the copper concentrate would be transported to Mt Isa or Cloncurry then railed to Townsville for export.

Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Queensland)

On 29 June 2010, an application was made by the proponent under section 71 of the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (EP Act) for the preparation of a voluntary environmental impact statement (EIS). The application was approved on 28 July 2010.

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth)

On 11 August 2010, the then Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and Arts (now Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) determined the proposed project to be a controlled action under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The controlling provisions are Sections 18 and 18A (listed threatened species and communities) and 20 and 20A (listed migratory species).

Public notification of final Terms of Reference (TOR)

The process for the assessment of this project is as follows:

The terms of reference (TOR) for the environmental impact statement (EIS) has been completed and were issued to the proponent on 17 January 2011. An addendum to the final TOR was made on 4 March 2011. A copy of the final TOR and addendum is available by accessing the links below. The proponent will now finalise the draft EIS addressing the requirements of the final TOR.