Approval of the Copi Critical Minerals Project in Far South West NSW 

Statement attributable to NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee

Today’s announcement of NSW Government approval for the Copi Critical Minerals Project south-west of Broken Hill is great news for the NSW economy, our NSW mining sector, and the local region.

As global competition for critical minerals intensifies, projects like this that develop NSW’s critical mineral supply chain and boost our reputation as an investment destination for mining projects are increasingly important for our economy.

It is now important for the Commonwealth Government to support this Project by granting swift approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

The $693 million Copi Critical Minerals Project will process up to 27 million tonnes of material and produce up to 400,000 tonnes of critical mineral ore per year for 18 years.  

The Project will deliver critical titanium-bearing minerals including ilmenite, rutile, zircon and other rare earth concentrates important for defence, telecommunications, medical device industries as well as renewable technologies.

The Project will also create around 480 jobs during construction and 200 ongoing jobs, with around half of the project’s workforce expected to come from local regional communities.

The Copi Critical Minerals project is one of nine potential critical mineral mining projects proposed for approval in NSW. These projects have the potential to deliver nearly two billion dollars in investment and over 2000 new jobs for NSW, while also delivering more than $400 million in royalties for the NSW government while in operation.

Three other critical minerals projects are also fully approved and ‘shovel-ready’, representing another billion dollars of investment, over 1000 new jobs, and over $380 million in mining royalties for NSW once in operation.

In these uncertain economic times, the NSW Government should be commended for backing industries like mining that deliver large-scale investment and jobs for our state.