The South Australian Government has granted approval of Renascor Resources’ Siviour Graphite Project site’s program for environment protection and rehabilitation (PEPR).
This is a key turning point towards enabling Renascor Resources’ development of the globally significant Siviour graphite deposit on the Eyre Peninsula – approximately 15km west of Arno Bay and 120km north of Port Lincoln – which is the second largest graphite reserve in the world and was discovered by Renascor Resources and its subsidiary Ausmin Development in 2016.
Renascor Resources Managing Director, David Christensen, said obtaining PEPR approval brings the company closer to becoming a producer of 100 per cent Australian-made purified spherical graphite.
“This approval is the culmination of extensive technical, environmental and social investigation over the last six years, and satisfies a fundamental condition precedent of the Australian Government’s AU$185 million loan facility to fund Renascor’s integrated Siviour Battery Anode Material Project.
“We are very proud that our Siviour Project has satisfied the comprehensive conditions required by the South Australian Department for Energy and Mining, and we look forward to continued engagement with the local community and the State Government as we work towards the commencement of mining and graphite production at Siviour with minimal environmental impacts and maximum social and economic benefits to the local and wider community.”
The company’s project proposal will yield up to 150,000t of graphite concentrate annually and is investing more than $100 million toward capital expenditure on the project, as well as stimulating the local economy and providing broader benefits to South Australia through the creation of approximately 160 additional operational roles.
Graphite, which is a critical mineral for batteries, will play a key role for the state’s goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Renascor Resources is also continuing to progress its studies on a downstream processing facility for the production of purified spherical graphite (PSG) which is manufactured into anodes for lithium-ion batteries.
This opportunity for integrating mining operations and downstream processing will add desirable complexity to South Australia’s economy and strengthen the suite of operations currently being developed across the Eyre Peninsula.
South Australian Energy and Mining Minister, Tom Koutsantonis, said, “Renascor Resources’ investment in the Siviour Graphite project shows confidence in South Australia’s mining sector and the relevance of graphite mining in renewable energy.
“South Australia has an abundance of graphite, a key element in the production of lithium batteries – the demand for which is only going to grow as we seek to decarbonise.”
Mining operations create further job opportunities for regional communities while playing a critical role in achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
