Andover Lithium Project

Overview

Azure Minerals Pty Ltd (Azure) proposes to develop and operate the Andover Lithium Project (the Proposal), located approximately 35 kilometres (km) southeast of Karratha, immediately south of the town of Roebourne (Ieramugadu), in the Pilbara Region. The Proposal is wholly located within the Native Title Determination Area of the Ngarluma People.

The Proposal is a greenfield operation comprising mining and processing of lithium ore to produce lithium oxide (Li2O) and tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5) concentrates. Concentrates will be transported by road train along the North West Coastal Highway to port facilities at Port Hedland. 

The proposed life of mine (LOM) is approximately 34 years, including a two-year construction phase and a two-year closure phase.

The Proposal has an indicative disturbance footprint of up to 3,045.79 hectares (ha) within a 4,489.2 ha development envelope.

The proposal key activities and elements include:

• Open cut and underground mining of a lithium deposit and associated elements; waste rock landforms (WRLs), surface haul roads, underground declines, underground ventilation infrastructure, topsoil stockpiles and low-grade ore stockpiles.
• Dewatering of the orebody (up to 0.9 gigalitres per year) and associated open pit and underground dewatering infrastructure.
• Construction and operation of an onsite processing plant to produce up to 1.1 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) Li2O concentrate and up to 5 kilotonnes per annum (Ktpa) Ta2O5 concentrate.
• Processing infrastructure including Run-of-Mine (ROM) pad and ore stockpiles, secondary crushing stations, conveyors and screening infrastructure, concentrate stockpiles, paste plant, tailings and return water pipelines and process water ponds.
• Pipelines and associated corridors to enable the delivery of alternative water supply for construction and operational use. 
• Storage of tailings within an integrated waste rock landform (IWL) and tailings storage facility (TSF).
• Supporting infrastructure including accommodation camp and offices, workshops, wastewater treatment plant/s, landfill/s, power generation, power lines, substations and battery energy storage systems, communication infrastructure, roads, laydown areas, explosive magazine and compound, powerlines, pipelines and water management infrastructure.

Why your views matter

At this initial stage of the EIA process, comment is simply sought on whether or not the EPA should assess a proposal and, if so, what level of assessment is considered appropriate.