FAQs
- Project is declared to be ‘impact assessed’ by the Minister for Planning.
- Development application lodged by the proponent.
- Assessment requirements prepared by the independent State Planning Commission with input from state government agencies and the local council.
- Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prepared by the proponent.
- Public invited to provide feedback on the EIS via YourSAy (this stage).
- Response document prepared by the proponent, addressing issues raised through the community engagement.
- Assessment report prepared by the State Planning Commission.
- Final decision made by the Minister for Planning. The final decision will be published on the PlanSA website.
- The Department for Housing and Urban Development coordinates all aspects of the assessment process and supports the functions of the State Planning Commission.
- Relevant state agencies (for example the Environment Protection Authority) provide specialised, technical advice on specific environmental issues during the assessment process.
- Renascor has not received any state government funding for this project.
- Declaration as an impact assessed development does not mean the project will automatically be approved, rather it ensures that the development is subject to the most rigorous level of development assessment in South Australia.
- The Minister for Planning will make the final decision on the development, based on a recommendation from the independent State Planning Commission.
- An industrial, manufacturing facility is proposed at Robinson Road, Waterloo Corner directly adjacent the SA Water Wastewater Treatment Plant.
- The facility will process raw graphite from the Siviour Graphite Mine on the Eyre Peninsula and produce pure spherical graphite (PSG), a key material in the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles.
- The facility comprises the following key components:
- Industrial buildings / plant
- Storage silos
- Heavy vehicle unloading / loading facilities
- Packaging facility
- Administration, storage, warehouse and other ancillary buildings
- Water treatment plants
- Removal of regulated and significant trees
- Gas and water connections, water supply and discharge pipelines
- Stormwater works, bulk earthworks, landscaping, fencing, lighting and signage.
- The final PSG product will be packaged at the facility, then transported to Port Adelaide where it will be exported to international customers.
- The proponent undertaking the development is Renascor Resources Limited (Renascor).
- Renascor is a South Australian based, ASX-listed mineral development company.
- Read more about Renascor in Section 1.2 of the EIS or on their website.
- A detailed site selection process was undertaken by Renascor.
- The site at Robinson Road, Waterloo Corner was selected based on various criteria including land availability, water and power supply, proximity to freight routes, land use zoning, workforce availability, and environmental sensitivity.
- Read more about the site selection process in Section 2.4 of the EIS.
- The development site is located within the Rural Horticulture Zone, and adjacent the Infrastructure Zone.
- Surrounding land uses include various horticulture, agriculture and commercial businesses, as well as some residential dwellings. To the west is SA Water’s wastewater treatment plant, and further north-west is the township of St Kilda.
- The suitability of the proposed development, and potential interface impacts with existing and envisaged adjacent land uses have been considered.
- Read more about land use impacts in Section 8 of the EIS.
- The development is not located on the coast or within the marine environment, however treated process water from the facility will be sent to the SA Water Bolivar outfall channel. This water then enters the marine environment at Freshwater Creek.
- The return of treated process water to the SA Water outfall channel is a ‘prescribed activity of environmental significance’ under the Environmental Protection Act 1991 and will be subject to an Environment Protection Authority (EPA) licence.
- A detailed water quality assessment has been undertaken, and the EPA will provide specialist advice on this matter.
- The EPA licence is expected to require ongoing monitoring of the discharge water. A draft Discharge Criteria Management Plan has been prepared and is included in the EIS.
- Read more about the process water treatment, and coastal and marine impacts in Sections 9.5 and Appendix 18 of the EIS.
- The facility will generate air emissions including particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide. Modelling has been undertaken to demonstrate that EPA requirements can be met.
- The impacts of dust during construction have also been considered.
- A detailed air quality assessment has been prepared which considers the impacts and how they will be mitigated.
- Read more about air quality in Section 11.2 and Appendix 11 of the EIS.
- Construction activities will occur between 7am and 7pm, Monday to Saturday. During construction, noise will be generated from heavy vehicle movements and equipment used for site works and service installation.
- The facility will operate on a 24/7 basis. Noise will be generated from heavy vehicle movements, the graphite milling process, kilns, and the water treatment plant.
- A detailed environmental noise assessment has been prepared which considers the impacts and how they will be mitigated.
- Read more about noise in Section 11.3 and Appendix 12 of the EIS.
- The development will generate additional traffic movements during both construction and operation.
- Vehicular access to the site is from Robinson Road (a local, no through road), via Waterloo Corner Road, and Port Wakefield Road or Northern Expressway.
- Upgrades will be required to Robinson Road to cater for the expected volume and type of traffic generated by the development.
- A traffic impact assessment and heavy vehicle route assessment have been prepared which consider the impacts and how they will be mitigated.
- Read more about transport and traffic in Section 11.4 and Appendices 13 and 14 of the EIS.
- The facility will operate on a 24/7 basis, and lighting of the site is required.
- Potential impacts to residents, businesses and fauna as a result of light spill during nighttime hours have been considered.
- Read more about lighting requirements in Section 11.5 of the EIS.
- The tallest components of the project are the kiln buildings at approximately 25m above ground level.
- A visual assessment has been undertaken, including visual renders to demonstrate how the facility will look when viewed from key vantage points in the area.
- Read more about visual impacts in Section 11.5 and 16.3 of the EIS.
- The clearance of approximately 22.22ha of native vegetation is proposed during construction. The vegetation has been assessed as generally poor quality with low habitat value, and will not impact any protected communities, flora or fauna species.
- The clearance will be offset through a Significant Environmental Benefit as required by the Native Vegetation Act 1991.
- The project layout has sought to minimise the impacts to regulated and significant trees, however a maximum of 9 regulated and 10 significant trees are proposed to be removed.
- A landscape plan will be developed, with vegetation plantings proposed along the Robinson Road frontage.
- Read more about impacts to the biological environment in Section 10 and Appendix 9 of the EIS.
- Utility requirements for the development include power, natural gas, water, sewerage and transportation networks.
- The facility requires water, which it proposes to source from the SA Water WWTP. This water would normally be sent to the Bolivar outfall channel, and into Spencer Gulf. Renascor proposes to treat and reuse this water in the processing facility.
- Read more about utility requirements in Section 3.9 of the EIS.
- The facility will produce a range of by-products, and liquid and solid wastes. The various waste streams may be re-used, recycled and/or disposed.
- Water used in the processing plant will be treated on site and then discharged to SA Water’s Wastewater Treatment Plant outfall channel.
- Read more about waste management in Section 14.6 and Appendix 17 of the EIS.
- The capital investment in excess of $100 million is expected to positively benefit the local community and state economy, with the proposed creation of highly skilled, high-tech engineering and manufacturing industry jobs.
- The project is expected to generate approximately 200 full-time equivalent (FTE) construction job, and 200 FTE operational jobs.
- Flow-on benefits are also expected for various supporting sectors.
- Read more about social and economic impacts in Section 12 and Appendix 16 of the EIS.
- The EIS details key mitigation measures for all potential environmental impacts.
- If the project is approved, the proponent will be required to prepare a suite of environmental management plans, incorporating the key mitigation measures from the EIS, and covering both construction and operational phases.
- Read more about the proposed environmental management framework for the project in Section 17.2 of the EIS.
- A detailed description of the development is provided in Section 3 of the EIS.
- Site and layout plans are provided in Appendix 2 of the EIS.
What is the assessment process for an impact assessed development?
What is the state government’s role in this development and this process?
What is proposed?
Who is undertaking the development?
Why was this site selected by Renascor?
Have impacts on adjacent land uses (including food production, horticulture, agriculture and tourism businesses) been considered?
Have impacts to the coast and marine environment been considered?
Have air quality impacts been considered?
Have noise impacts been considered?
Have traffic impacts been considered?
Have light impacts been considered?
Have visual impacts been considered?
What vegetation is planned to be removed and is any additional vegetation planned to be planted?
What servicing and infrastructure is required for the proposed development?
What wastes will the facility generate, and how will they be managed?
What benefits will the project have for the local community and South Australia?
Have environmental management plans been development for construction and operation of the proposed development?
What detailed plans are available for the proposed development?
