| Resource | Copper (Cu), Gold (Au) |
|---|---|
| Company | Rex Minerals Pty Ltd |
| Status | Approved |
| Mining operation | |
| Location | 12 km south of Ardrossan, Yorke Peninsula |
| Tenement information | Tenement information and location is available via the South Australian Resources Information Gateway (SARIG) |
| The deposit | |
| Resource and production estimates | Company released resource estimates and production statistics for South Australia's major operating and approved mines are summarised in South Australia's major operating/approved mines: resources estimates and production statistics (PDF, updated regularly). |
| Approval process | On 16 September 2014 Rex Minerals (Rex) accepted an offer of mineral tenements under the Mining Act 1971 for the Hillside Copper Mine near Ardrossan on Yorke Peninsula. The program for environment protection and rehabilitation (PEPR) was approved on 23 July 2020. Chronology of Rex Minerals Hillside Project application and assessment |
| Documents and reports | Program for environment protection and rehabilitation for ML 6438, EML 6439 and MPL 146
Letter of approvalAssessment Report for the Program for environment protection and rehabilitation for ML 6438, EML 6439 and MPL 146Mining lease proposal and management plansThe following documents detail the assessment of the Rex mining proposal, the terms and conditions of the mineral tenements that have been accepted by Rex, and answers to commonly asked questions about the Hillside project:
Explanatory note on the final terms and conditions of the Hillside mineral tenement (PDF 445 KB) Mining Compliance Report |
A program for environment protection and rehabilitation (PEPR) is an operational document which describes how a miner will undertake mining operations in a practical and specific way. A PEPR approval is supported by a detailed, science-based assessment of its technical contents by South Australian government agencies including the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), the Department for Environment and Water (DEW) and the Department for Energy and Mining (DEM).
The management strategies, monitoring systems and compliance criteria outlined in the Hillside PEPR will enable the achievement of the projects’ environmental outcomes.
Before Rex can commence construction or mining operations it must first ensure it has addressed all of the requirements set out in the publicly available Hillside PEPR approval letter.
Before any construction or operations on the mining lease, Rex must:
- provide an independent expert report which outlines Rex’s capacity to achieve compliance in light of its management systems, personnel, policies, procedures, practices and resources
- obtain relevant Environment Protection (EP) Act authorisations
- pay a $34 million rehabilitation liability bond
- have the required public liability insurance in place
- pay the mandatory $515,000 Significant Environmental Benefit as an offset for native vegetation clearance
- comply with their Development Act approval requirements requiring works associated with the St Vincent and Yorke Highway diversion to be completed.
In approving the PEPR, DEM has assessed that 30 months (31 December 2022) is a suitable timeframe for Rex to begin mining operations.
The PEPR does not authorise access to land. Rex must meet all land access obligations, for example land access agreements or waivers of exemption, as required under the Mining Act. Operations cannot commence on relevant land within Rex’s lease or licence areas until related land access is resolved.
The Mining Act sets out the framework for obtaining authority to access land for mining activities.
The Hillside PEPR is the key operational document against which Rex must demonstrate and report compliance. Annual compliance reports will be published on the DEM website. Authorised DEM officers will conduct compliance inspections to ensure operations are undertaken in accordance with the PEPR and lease and licence conditions.
Before starting operations, the Hillside mining lease conditions require Rex to establish real-time monitoring and public reporting frameworks for air quality and noise. Rex will establish an online public portal to display this real-time information.
Before starting construction or mining operations, Rex must pay a $34 million rehabilitation bond which DEM will hold as security to ensure land rehabilitation obligations can be satisfied. It is important to note the bond does not negate the requirement for a tenement holder to meet their legal obligations under the Mining Act relating to rehabilitation of disturbed land.
