Glencore gets Queensland government approval for new bauxite mine development

Queensland mining has again been in the news with the state government announcing its intention to allow Glencore to develop a bauxite mine in far north Queensland.

Far north Queensland bauxite mining operations have kept large numbers of workers employed in the mining industry. Only recently, iMINCO highlighted the Rio Tinto mining bauxite development in Weipa, which has been pegged for massive expansion, creating hundreds more jobs in the bauxite mine and production facility.

New bauxite mine – Aurukun bauxite deposit in Western Cape York

The Queensland bauxite mine to be developed is the Glencore Aurukun bauxite deposit which is situated in Western Cape York. Queensland Deputy Premier, Jeff Seeney, said �the Government had been deciding on who to award this contract to for many months. He went on to say that after continuing negotiations with other mining companies, the Queensland Government thought Glencore was the best choice. Mr Seeney also said over the next few months the Government and Glencore will collaborate closely to finalise the details.

They reached this decision because of Glencore’s technical capability and financial strength which would be a safe bet to develop the bauxite resource. The challenging mining project would also provide a huge economic boost for the region, not just the people of Aurukun and Cape York Peninsula, but all Queenslanders would benefit because of the taxes imposed on the mining company which flow back to the community in some shape or form.

Adding to the excitement of this project, Chief Executive of the Queensland Resources Council, Michael Roche, said the potential of this bauxite project was great news for job seekers in Queensland.

Given the remoteness of Cape York, the development of the mining industry is critical to provide sustainable incomes for many people. The focus for the government and industry leaders is for projects like the Aurukun project to provide improved economic and social outcomes.

Over the years, development of mining projects in Queensland, especially in the far north has been a bit hit-and-miss, which has not contributed to local community confidence. Being a tier one mining company has added much credibility to the project as Glencore have a wealth of expertise with mining operations spanning the entire planet.

Where is the Aurukun bauxite mine?

The Aurukun bauxite resource is located on indigenous Australian land to the east of the township of Aurukun. The traditional land owners are the Wik and Wik Way people.

Glencore’s global head of aluminium mining, Andrew Caplan said his company was very happy that the Queensland government has favoured Glencore to develop the resource. He went on to say, his company was looking forward to working with the local people and communities.It looks like at some stage in 2015, a feasibility study will get underway. Although this seems like a long way off and the thought of more Queensland mining jobs for the local community are not going to happen next week, there is a lot of future mining activity to look forward to for the region.

Queensland mining news

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