The Queensland Government announced the proposed Richmond-Julia Creek Vanadium Project is a step closer following the finalisation of terms of reference for an environmental impact statement (EIS).
The Richmond-Julia Creek Vanadium Project is proposed for a site approximately 45 km northwest of Richmond, located in the North West Minerals Province.
Project proponent Richmond Vanadium Technology (RVT) expects the project to generate up to 100 new construction jobs and up to 200 operational jobs over 25 years.
RVT estimates that the site will have the ability to extract up to 4.2 million tonnes annually of vanadium ore and process it on-site to produce 790,000 tonnes of vanadium concentrate annually.
The company said it will now prepare a draft EIS responding to the terms of reference, which requires a rigorous assessment of social, economic and environmental impacts.
The Richmond-Julia Creek Vanadium Project was designated as a coordinated project in May 2022.
According to Deputy Premier Steven Miles, the project is an exciting proposal that supports the Palaszczuk Government’s Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan and the Queensland Battery Industry Strategy.
“Queensland’s North West Minerals Province is one of the world’s richest mineral-producing areas and will support Queensland production of critical minerals for the global renewable energy sector,” Deputy Premier Miles added.
Resources Minister Scott Stewart said the Palaszczuk Government is supporting the development of a vanadium mining, processing and manufacturing industry in the state because there is increasing demand for products such as redox flow batteries that can be built on a large scale to power homes and businesses over longer periods of time.
“There are huge opportunities to grow production of critical minerals in the North West Minerals Province and our investment in Copperstring 2032 and the Queensland Resources Common User Facility will support companies like Richmond Vanadium Technology,” Minister Stewart noted.
