Sarsfield Expansion Project
- Project summary
- Environmental Protection (EP) Act 1994 (Queensland)
- Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC)Act 1999 (Commonwealth)
- Public notification of final terms of reference (TOR)
- Further information
Project summary
Carpentaria Gold Pty Ltd, which is 100 per cent owned by Resolute Mining Limited, is the proponent for the Sarsfield Expansion Project, situated at Ravenswood in North Queensland—about 120 km south-west of Townsville. The project area is located within mining leases (ML) 1639, 1379, 1574, 1380, 1416, 1417, 1337, 1574, 1640, 1682, 1692, 1753, 10170, 10237, 1418 and 1394.
The proponent is proposing to expand its existing open-cut gold mining operation by recommencing mining in the Sarsfield Pit and extending the Nolans Pit floor. Mining would involve drilling and blasting, and removal of the overburden and ore using a shovel and truck fleet. The existing processing plant would treat ore from Nolans and Sarsfield pits and the Mt Wright underground operations at a rate of five million tonnes per annum (Mtpa), peaking at 6.5 Mtpa for 12 months. The project would extend the mine life for up to nine years, with an additional three years of processing.
The project would involve replacing infrastructure affected by the expansion project and constructing or refurbishing new facilities, including:
- two new lined tailings storage facility cells to house dredged tailings from the Sarsfield Pit and additional lined cells to accommodate mining tailings
- a new waste rock dump to accommodate the extra waste material
- a new 120-room workers’ camp expansion to accommodate an additional permanent workforce of approximately 160
- removal and re-establishment of portion of the acoustic bund to the west and north of the pit
- replacement of the sewage treatment plant
- a new mining workshop and offices
- realignment of a portion of Mt Wright haul road
- new crushing plant.
Environmental Protection (EP) Act 1994 (Queensland)
An application was made to the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) on 28 July 2011 by the proponent under section 72 of the EP Act for a voluntary environmental impact statement (EIS). On 2 August 2011, DERM decided assessment of the Sarsfield Expansion Project would be by voluntary EIS.
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC)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 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 12 and 15A (World Heritage properties), 15B and 15C (National Heritage places) and 18 and 18A (Listed threatened species and communities) and 24B and 24C (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park).
Public notification of final terms of reference (TOR)
The process for the assessment of this project is as follows:
Further information
Copies of publicly available documents can be obtained by accessing the links below:
Final Terms of Reference (PDF, 295K)*
Initial Advice Statement (PDF, 3.2M)*
Public Notice (PDF, 69K)*
For further information about the EIS process for the Sarsfield Expansion Project, contact the EIS coordinator or email <eis@derm.qld.gov.au>. A copy of the final terms of reference, initial advice statement and additional information about the project is also available by contacting Coffey Environments Australia Pty Ltd on (07) 3002 0400 or visiting <www.rml.com.au>.
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Last updated 9 February 2012