Jobs boost expected following approval of new mine development in NT

Core Lithium will be expanding its Finnis Lithium Operations near Darwin as the Northern Territory Government grants mining approval it the BP33 underground mine – the second proposed mine at Finnis. 

The Territory Government has assessed and approved the Mining Management Plan and has granted authorisation to the development of BP33, in keeping with the requirements of the Mining Management Act 2001. 

This approval under the Act is the final step in the approvals process for mining, which follows the Environmental Approval issued by the Minister for Environment on the advice of the NT Environment Protection Authority. 

“Today’s announcement is great news for the people of the Daly electorate and Territorians. 

“The project gives certainty to small businesses in the Cox Peninsular region who are benefiting from the economic activity. 

“I welcome today’s announcement and it shows the Northern Territory Labor Government is getting on with the job of delivering to make the Territory a world-class hub for resources and critical minerals,” Member for Daly Dheran Young said. 

The BP33 mine is located 33 kilometres west of Berry Springs and 5 kilometres from the Grants open pit. Ore from the mine will be processed at the nearby Grants Lithium Project. 

The project is proposed to include the development of an underground mine as well as associated site infrastructure, a water supply dam, sediment ponds, a run of mine pad, wast rock landforms, a storage and maintenance area, internal access roads and drainage infrastructure. 

The BP33 project is estimated to employ up to 60 people during its construction and about 150 people during its operations. 

The Finnis Lithium mine opened last year, marking a major milestone for Core Lithium. The Finnis mine is the first new mine to be operational in the Northern Territory in over a decade. The mine has also reached a significant milestone with its first exports of a Direct Shipping Ore product earlier this year. 

Cire Lithium’s Finnis Lithium Project will help stimulate interest as well as investment and growth in the Territory’s growing minerals sector. 

To date, the total value of local spend by the Finnis Lithium Project – which employs approximately 300 people – amounts to $120 million, demonstrating local economic benefits for the Top End and the Northern Territory. 

The announcement of the mining approval for BP33 coincides with Core Lithium’s first shipment of spodumene concentrate. 

The BP33 project is the eighth significant mine approval in the past three years. Other approvals include Arafura Rare Earth’s Nolans Project, Core Lithium’s Finnis Project, Nathan River Resources’ Nathan River Project, McArthur River Mine’s Overburden Management Project, KGL’s Jervois Mining project, Vista Gold’s Mt Todd Gold Mine and TM Gold’s Spring Hill Mine project. 

The Northern Territory Government is aiming to build a $40 billion economy by 2030 to create more jobs, and mineral resources are a critical element to reaching this goal. 

“The Territory is becoming a major player in the critical minerals supply chain and we have exciting opportunities for the Territory to become a leading supplier of the critical minerals needed for the renewable energy transition in Australia and the world. 

“Core Lithium has demonstrated their ability to extract and export critical minerals within a short time frame, and the latest proposed mine will be no exception. 

“This is big news for the Northern Territory economy, local suppliers and local jobs, as we move towards a $40 billion economy 2030,” Minister for Mining and Industry Nicole Manison said. 

Source: Northern Territory Government Newsroom; Australian Resource; Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority