I began a career in exploration when many of the issues you mention were far from the thoughts of 'would be' miners. There was change in the air along with the waving of burning bras.
Fast forward 50 years and there has been a dramatic change in the way companies look to get a mine into the ground. Even the concept of mining is being questioned by many though I won't go there in this post.
The ESG aspects of how a company approaches mining is closely scrutinised by external sources. Basically it is part of the license to operate in exploration and mining these days and the company(s) that fails to comply will suffer. I would be extremely surprised if the SS, and future PFS DFS studies CVV are undertaking do not take ESG very seriously.
The following is my take on some of the drawbacks you mention.
- Potential objection from farmers CVV has actively engaged with local farmers and reports good ongoing relationships. Effectively CVV compensate farmers at Bindi for the financial loss of a possible crop. Financially for the farmer, this is likely to be more profitable than what could be produced. At Bindi the farm is not the standard 1950s small acreage and the owner views it as an economic proposition. PARAPHRASING SOME COMMENTS AT MEETINGS I have attended. - Environmental concerns about developing a mine in a grain producing area - food security. No comment about this that I registered. My perspective is a mine at Bindi could be looked at in context of the broader wheatbelt. Maybe 10 sq Kms out of several hundred thousand? Access roads in the same area probably total thousands of square kilometers. Very difficult and debatable topic. Mine closure may return some of the ground to use in the future.
- Saline groundwater to be removed. Where will this go? Environmental objections. This ties in with the next points to some extent - Groundwater de-watering for a mega pit. The groundwater cone of depression would extend out for kilometres from the mine site. This would affect any fresh water that lies on top of the saline water. In turn this will affect the vegetation.
Process water is probably going to be sourced from the Gillingara area some 40 Kms to the west. I did ask if process water could be sourced locally and, from memory, the reply said the quantities available would be insufficient for quality and purpose. De-watering will be needed for a pit with the quantities and impacts to be determined.
More environmental objections?
- Changing public mood about "protecting mother earth". How does the public mood balance their need for maintaining and hopefully improving a lifestyle and proposed zero carbon technology? Metals are currently considered part of the solution. These have to come from somewhere - just NIMBY?
================= I have only attended CVV meetings, done some reading and have a background in exploration geology. There are seldom easy answers to the type of questions you pose which are the tip of an iceberg of conflicting concerns that have to be considered for every potential new mine development.
Contact the company and get a response directly from them as the above is probably just a hint of what is being considered in the studies.
Some mineral deposits probably should never make it into productions even though they are economically viable. Others will be put into production though in less conventional ways - one project in NZ will have a 6 km decline to an UG mine leaving virtually no surface expression in a state forest..
How mines are developed today and into the future will be very different to the past.
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