Acknowledgement
The Fosterville Gold Mine Sustained Operations Project is on Dja Dja Wurrung Country. We would like to acknowledge and extend our appreciation of the Dja Dja Wurrung People, the Traditional Owners of the land that the Project is located on today. We pay our respects to leaders and Elders past and present for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and the hopes of all Dja Dja Wurrung Peoples.
Project Outline
Fosterville Gold Mine (FGM) is a high-grade, underground gold mine operated by Fosterville Gold Mine Pty Ltd a wholly owned subsidiary of Agnico Eagle. FGM is located on mining lease MIN5404, about 20km northeast of the city of Bendigo in Victoria, Australia, between the rural towns of Goornong (to the north) and Axedale (to the south). The Sustained Operations Project will allow for the continuation of existing gold mining operations at Fosterville Gold Mine for at least the next 10 years.
Project Background
FGM is located on the historic Ellesmere goldfield, now known as Fosterville, where mining first commenced in 1894. Exploration and production recommenced in the early 1980s, and Bendigo Gold Limited (BGL) prepared an EES for the site in 1988. In 1990, BGL merged with Brunswick NL and proceeded with operations under the approved EES.
In 1996 an EES scoped to the present-day operations was referred to the Minister for Planning, and it was recommended the project proceed. Following approval of the work plan to mine and process deeper sulphide ore, underground mining operations commenced operation in 2005.
Since then, various Work Plan Variations have been approved under the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act 1990 in order for mining to continue consistently from 2005 through to the present day.
FGM has been in operation since 2005. The site currently includes open pits, underground mining operations, a processing plant, tailings storage facilities, waste rock dumps, water storages, buildings, workshops, and supporting infrastructure. The processing plant has an operating capacity of 960,000 tonnes per annum. FGM and all associated infrastructure including the tailings dam and waste dumps are located on Mining Lease 5404.
Environment Effects Statement (EES)
The Minister for Planning determined, under the Environment Effects Act 1978 that FGM is to prepare an Environment Effects Statement (EES) for the proposed Fosterville Gold Mine Sustained Operations Project (the Project). The EES process is accredited to assess potential impacts on matters of national environmental significance (MNES) under the EPBC Act through the Bilateral Assessment Agreement between the Commonwealth and the State of Victoria.
Fosterville Gold Mine Pty Ltd is responsible for preparing the EES and undertaking the supporting investigations, in accordance with the scoping requirements set by the Minister for Planning.
Sustained Operations Project
The Sustained Operations Project Environment Effect Statement (EES) outlines the potential impacts (positive and negative) on the environment and proposes methods to avoid, minimise and offset or manage any significant effects.
The EES has been prepared as part of the impact assessment process under the Environment Effects Act 1978. The EES is required to enable a comprehensive evaluation of the environmental, social and economic effects of the proposal.
We recommend you read the Summary Document first to get an overview of the project.
The EES documents can be downloaded individually through the drop down menu options below or by clicking this link to download Complete Package.
A USB with the full set of EES documents can be provided on request, please email FGM.Community@agnicoeagle.com