Benchmark Minerals chief executive Simon Moores speaks at the Sydney Energy Forum. Credit: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images
Expediting the permitting of new mines and processing plants could help bring on earlier supply of the critical minerals needed to help decarbonise the global economy, an energy conference in Sydney has heard.
Speaking as part of a panel at the Sydney Energy Forum on Tuesday, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence boss Simon Moores noted the downstream component of the battery supply chain was growing far more quickly than the upstream sector could keep up.
Asked what could be done to fast-track the mining of battery and rare earth minerals, Mr Moores said mining companies in Australia, the US and Canada had told him permitting was their biggest hindrance.
Lynas Rare Earths managing director Amanda Lacaze agreed, noting it had taken the company 18 months to secure approval to begin construction of its $500 million cracking and leaching plant in Kalgoorlie.
And she said that was despite the company securing major project status from the Federal Government, lead agency status from the State Government and having the full support of the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
Ms Lacaze argued projects involving known and proven technologies should not have to start the permitting process from “a clean sheet of paper”.
She also pointed to Lynas’ plans to transition the power supply at its Mt Weld rare earths mine near Laverton from diesel to gas, noting it would be 12 months at best before the company could get approval to expand its disturbance envelope.
That would mean an extra 2-3 years of unnecessary high-carbon diesel emissions from the mine.
Permitting delays have long been a bugbear of the mining industry despite recent efforts by both the State and Federal governments to remove duplication and fast-track approval times.
