Sustainably planning for a new zircon mine

Cyclone Mineral Sands Project

Located in remote Western Australia, the Eucla Basin is rich in mineral sands. When Lost Sands identified the site’s potential, they proposed a zircon mine. Our job? To provide a range of multidisciplinary services to support the proposal and gain the approvals required to begin construction.

We created the environmental management plan, the conceptual mine closure plan, a carbon emission offset strategy, an environmental risk assessment, and the environmental scoping study that contributed to the project’s approval. We also provided design services to help our client create a new haul road through the remote Great Victoria Desert Nature Reserve.

Following this project, Lost Sands requested a change to the environmental approval. We prepared a report to include additional information regarding the environmental impact of the project, including greenhouse gas emissions. Stantec determined the average annual greenhouse gas emissions, including during the vegetation clearing and construction phase of the mine.

When it opens, this new mine site will create employment opportunities for the surrounding communities and will go on to fund conservation work within the Great Victoria Nature Reserve.