Lincoln Minerals Ltd, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Australian Graphite Pty Ltd, has received the first of two key approvals for the proposed $40 million graphite mine located north of Port Lincoln.
SA Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis said the company has been granted a Mining Lease for the Kookaburra Gully graphite project which is expected to create 90 jobs on the lower Eyre Peninsula.
“Through projects such as Kookaburra Gully, South Australia is emerging as a supplier of graphite to meet the global demand for renewable technologies using lithium ion batteries and solar thermal power generation systems,” the Minister said.
“Granting a Mining Lease is the first stage of a two-step assessment of a mining proposal. The next step in the project is the preparation of a detailed operating plan for the mine, known as a Program for Environment Protection and Rehabilitation (PEPR). The development of a PEPR by Lincoln Minerals, prepared in consultation with the stakeholders of the mine, will be rigorously assessed by the Department of State Development.”
The project will include an open-cut mine and a processing plant with an annual throughput of 250,000 tonnes to produce about 30,000–50,000 tonnes a year of graphite concentrate.
Graphite produced at the mine is expected to be transported by container from the mine by road to the Port of Adelaide for export.
