Traditional owner representative body Hope Vale Congress has come out publicly to voice strong support for the emerging Galalar silica sand project in Far North Queensland.

Diatreme Resources has its sights set on a 2022 start to production at the Cape York project, which lies near the world’s largest operating silica sand mine at Cape Flattery.

Hope Vale Congress, on behalf of affected native title holders, will hold a 12.5 per cent stake in the project as part of a partnership with Diatreme.

That group says the Thiithaarr Clan, Traditional Owners of the Cape Bedford area of the Hope Vale region, along with Congress have been working with Diatreme for around four years to ensure the feasibility of establishing a silica sand mine on its traditional country.  

“The aim is to utilise a small part of our country to create a real economy that reduces welfare dependency for our people and the wider community of Hope Vale,” senior Thiithaarr Clan representative Eddie Deemal said. 

“This will also create inter-generational wealth that gives young people the opportunity to build a strong future that ensures they have the resources and skills to care for the country.” 

Hope Vale Congress of Clans, the Registered Native Title Body Corporation for the area, has been key in advancing negotiations between Diatreme and the Traditional Owners. 

Congress Chair Wilfred Gordon said: “This partnership provides an equity share for Congress traditional owers in the mining operation, with a subsequent long-term share of profits. These profits will be reinvested into economic, social, heath and cultural initiatives for not only the clan groups, but for the wider Hope Vale community. This project will create around 60 plus jobs in the region for at least 20 plus years.” 

Hope Vale Congress says there may also be local applications for the new mine’s product. 

“We are now collaborating with the Queensland Government, the Commonwealth Government, James Cook University and the Townsville Regional Council to investigate options for secondary treatment of the product in Townsville using by-products from other industries, together with potentially new investment in additional tertiary treatment to produce high end products in Australia,” Mr Gordon said.  

“This could create significant numbers of new jobs and decrease Australia’s dependency for renewable energy infrastructure on overseas suppliers.”  

Diatreme released the Initial Advice Statement (IAS) and draft terms of reference (DToR) for the project’s environmental impact statement in July.

The total mineral resource at Galalar is 47.5Mt, including a measured mineral resource of 30.9Mt at 99.28 per cent SiO2.

An economic study commissioned by Diatreme showed the project could inject about $24 million in the construction phase and up to $42 million in the operational phase for the benefit of Hope Vale, Cooktown and the surrounding region, with estimated total revenue of $80 million per annum.