Frequently Asked Questions

The Jervois Copper Project​ is 380 kilometres by road north-east of Alice Springs in Central Australia. The nearest occupied communities are Bonya and Harts Range.

The bulk of the mineral resource is copper, but there is also silver, lead, gold and zinc.

The Project footprint is estimated at 530 hectares, of which a significant portion has been disturbed by historic mining activities.

The ore will be mined by both open pit and underground mining methods and processed on site. The ore concentrate will be transported in conventional road trains by road for processing off site.

This project builds upon a unique history of mining in the area and has the potential to make a positive economic impact to the region over the next decade. It has a planned mine life of about 10 years, producing up to 135,000 (dry) tonnes of 27% copper concentrate per year.

Around 320 jobs will be created during construction and 280 operational jobs will be created during peak production.

As this Project is considered to be a reopening of the Jervois Mine with an expansion of the resource, the risks and potential impacts associated with this Project are well known to KGL. Throughout the EIS process, investigations were undertaken to further investigate potential risks and impacts and ensure that any uncertainties are managed. The impact assessment process considered the land and water resources and biodiversity and community that is dependent upon these resources. The socio-economic and heritage aspects of this Project and its surrounds have also been considered, as has the potential implications to human health and safety, including transport of materials to and from site. The findings have been largely positive, especially in terms of the positive implications for the socio-economic aspects associated with the Project.

The full EIS assessment report can be read here.

With regards to the water resources, careful investigation over a number of years has taken place to ensure that the proposed borefield is situated within an aquifer that does not pose a risk to the current users of groundwater within the region. A program for continuing to develop the modelled knowledge of the groundwater resources has been developed as part of the EIS process. As this knowledge is built upon, the model will be utilised to inform the site water balance model which is focused on accounting for site water demands now and in the future. This will ensure there is careful management of this vital resource for the community and Project operations. The potential for acid mine drainage has been investigated and the findings were that the majority of the material to be mined is non-acid forming. This means that with careful management and adherence to the management actions developed as part of the EIS, the Project will not interfere with land and water resources within the area. Finally, utilising KGL’s knowledge of the area and lessons from other historical operations, KGL is committed to ensuring that closure and rehabilitation is considered from the outset and this is demonstrated through the development of the draft Mine Rehabilitation and Closure Plan completed as part of the EIS process. These plans and commitments will be further developed as detailed engineering works are undertaken so these outcomes remain a focus during operations.

The February 2025 Feasibility Study Update has demonstrated a strong NPV of A$405m, confirming the Project is technically robust and financially viable.  And with all necessary approvals in hand, moving ahead with the development/construction of the project now is targeted to coincide with an undersupply of copper later in the decade being forecast by independent market analysts.