THE Goschen Rare Earths and Mineral Sands Project has the potential to drive economic growth for the Gannawarra region or destroy precious farmland and have lasting environmental effects, according to advocates and opponents.
Rare earths or mineral sands have become big business since activity in the renewable-energy sector increased.
Two minerals are essential materials for the manufacture of electric vehicles and wind turbines.
A combination of neodymium and praseodymium are in most demand as every EV drive train requires up to 2kg of the material and each three-megawatt wind turbine needs 600kg.
The Goschen project, 35km south-west of Swan Hill and in the Gannawarra municipality, encompasses 1500 hectares of prime agricultural land and will be an open-pit mine project with a life of more than 20 years.
It is expected the mine will extract five million tonnes a year of heavy mineral sands that will be processed on site, then taken by road to Ultima for rail transport to the Port of Melbourne for export.
According to documents produced by miner VHM Limited, the project promises 250 jobs in the construction phase and 400 full-time jobs during the life of the mine, as well as upgrades to local roads, water and electrical infrastructure.
However, local farmers and landholders are concerned about the environmental impact and the recovery of the land for sustainable farming enterprises, as well as traffic, noise and dust.
Documents released as part of the stakeholder consultation process, dated 2022, showed concerns expressed by community members and other stakeholders over damage to local roads from increased heavy-vehicle traffic, as well as an increased bushfire risk due to mining operations.
The reduction in availability or quality of surface water or groundwater was a common theme running through the list of stakeholder concerns listed in the stakeholder and community engagement plan. The project is expected to consume 4.5 gigalitres a year from Kangaroo Lake, a part of the fragile Murray-Darling river system.
VHM said there would be compensation through significant economic benefit to the region in the provision of local jobs, local procurement and investment in local infrastructure, as well as sponsorship and community benefit funds in the form of grants and legacy community initiatives.
