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Project 4.5

Abandoned mines in Australia

 

Project 4.5 Final Report

Research Program

Collaborative Infrastructure

Project Leader

Dr Ebrahim Fathi Salmi

Project ID

4.5

Summary

State and Territory governments are bearing significant costs to rehabilitate a fraction of Australia’s approximately 60,000 abandoned mine sites. While collectively governments are spending millions of dollars each year on the management of some of these sites, the cost to rehabilitate all abandoned mine sites is in the billions. This project will develop a national catalogue of priority abandoned mine sites based on operational, logistical, environmental health and human safety criteria.

The project objectives are to:

  • Engage with mining companies, state and territory governments and other stakeholders on the identification of sites and development of selection criteria to prioritise abandoned mine sites and site-specific challenges;
  • Develop a catalogue of mines based on priority selection criteria (e.g. costs, transport and logistics, mining industry and CRC TiME priority challenges (e.g. AMD, water management, etc.), operational, environment, and human health risks;
  • Establish a mechanism/pathway for CRC TiME partners to undertake testing of solutions and technologies at abandoned mine site; and
  • Submission of a final report to CRC TiME on strengths, gaps and proposed next steps for the prioritisation and management of abandoned mines in Australia.

Project Partners

CMTE Development Limited; CSIRO; Decipher; University of Queensland; Department for Energy and Mining, South Australian Government; Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, Queensland Government; Peel Development Commission; Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, West Australian Government; Linking Futures

Duration

9 months