Ken Turner had owned his farming property in South Australia‘s south east for less than a decade when he was told that elements under the soil were key to the country’s energy transition.
His farm, along with a couple of other properties and forestry plantations, is part of an area spanning 20 square kilometres that is earmarked for one of Australia’s first rare earth element mining projects.
Australian Rare Earths’ Koppamurra project is part of a wave of efforts to produce the materials needed to make a range of green technologies.
But it is already facing opposition from local producers concerned about how it will impact production in one of the state’s key agricultural regions.
Mining companies are looking for rare earth deposits across Australia. (Supplied: Australian Rare Earths)
The rare earths opportunity
University of Adelaide Professor Carl Spandler said rare earths were used to create high-power magnets needed for electric vehicle motors and wind turbines.
The development of critical mineral industries is a focus for the federal government as part of its Future Made in Australia policy announced in this year’s budget.
Carl Spandler says being a secure supplier of the rare earth is fundamental to Australia’s future. (ABC News: Marco Catalano)
Professor Spandler said about 80 per cent of the world’s rare earths came from China, with the Western world looking for more trusted suppliers.
“It’s not just about the economic value of mining,” he said.
“It’s also about Australia being a strategic, secure supplier of these resources that are absolutely fundamental to our future.”
Professor Spandler was part of a research team contracted to investigate the geology of the Koppamurra ore deposit, with the research and findings peer reviewed and published in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.
“The deposits in SA are a relatively recent find, which wasn’t really expected, based on the geology of the area,” he said.
Australian Rare Earths managing director Travis Beinke believes mining and farming can co-exist. (ABC News: Marco Catalano)
Australian Rare Earths is one of the companies looking for these deposits, with 7,000 square kilometres worth of exploration licences across SA and Victoria.
Managing director Travis Beinke said the company was looking to work with the region’s existing industries.
“We believe mining and agriculture can co-exist,” he said.
“We have a vision to create a new industry with the local community, which could potentially provide generations of jobs and investment.”
Ken Turner owns a mixed farming property in the proposed mining lease application area. (ABC South East SA: Josh Brine)
Local producers’ concerns
When Australian Rare Earths first approached Mr Turner to explore his property, run by his daughter Nicola, he had not considered the potential for mining.
“It surprised me when they came along and said they’d found an ore body that may well be viable,” he said.
However, other locals are already making their concerns clear.
Todd Woodard is the founding chair of the Limestone Coast Sustainable Futures Association. (Supplied: Limestone Coast Sustainable Futures)
Farmer Todd Woodard is chair of the newly created Limestone Coast Sustainable Futures Association, advocating on behalf of local producers and business leaders.
He said industries in the area, including cropping, small seed, dairy, and wine, were concerned about the potential of mining being invasive and the rehabilitation of the land.
“We can’t possibly see how it’s going to be put back the same,” he said.
“Getting the macrominerals back in there is one thing, putting the biology back in there is completely different.”
Will Malone’s family have been on their Wrattonbully property for about 100 years. (ABC South East SA: Josh Brine)
Wine grape grower Will Malone said the group’s concerns extended to the underground aquifer, which was already under stress and over-allocated.
“Soil and water being the two most important things for us … we’re just really concerned about what’s being put at risk,” he said.
“The discussion’s been very open, but a majority of the questions we pose, and [our] concerns, seem to come back with an answer of, ‘We don’t know.'”
Australian Rare Earths says it can rehabilitate land like it has at a sample pit site in SA. (Supplied: Australian Rare Earth)
Environmental studies ongoing
Finance broker and farmer Alana Davies is vice chair of the Limestone Coast Sustainable Futures Association group, with her property adjacent to the proposed mining lease application area.
She said locals wanted more certainty about the potential impacts of the project.
“For people at the moment, it’s just the waiting game and living in limbo,” she said.
Alana Davies says farmers have more questions than answers. (ABC South East SA: Josh Brine)
Mr Beinke said environmental studies on the proposed “progressive heat leach and rapid rehabilitation operation” were ongoing, and potential mining was several years away.
“We’re certainly confident that we’ll be able to demonstrate we can do it in an environmentally sustainable way,” he said.
“Ultimately, if we can’t demonstrate that, we simply won’t be granted a mining lease.”
Australian Rare Earths holds exploration licences covering productive farmland along the Limestone Coast. (ABC South East SA: Sam Bradbrook)
Mr Turner said he was waiting for a proposal before making any judgements.
“We value our soils, we value our water, we value the environment we live in,” he said.
“The community has to be part of the assessment process.”
