Farmers seek support as hearings kick off for Mallee mine plans

VHM Ltd, an ASX-listed company with a market value of more than $100 million, is being opposed by a group of grain growers and community members who will be looking for donations to finance its legal team.

Few if any of those upset people will attend the Melbourne hearings in person to watch VHM "open its case" and will instead tune in online to watch.

The farmers are also looking for financial support of its handful of expert witnesses.

The Victorian government has just announced a controversial change to fast track the approval process for renewable energy projects by accelerating planning approvals.

Although the proposed mineral sands mine is not the solar or wind farm the government is targeting today, there is some concern they will in the future.

The government move was raised at the opening of today's hearing but panel chair Michael Kirsch said it was not a matter to be considered by the panel but by the department of Transport and Planning Impact Assessment Unit.

The Federal government is backing the aims of VHM and other rare earths miners to provide the nation the key "big four" rare earths needed for renewable energy technology like wind turbines and electric vehicles.

These hard to find minerals - neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium - are necessary to create the permanent magnets critical for the renewable industry.

They are four of the "critical" minerals listed on the Australian and United States critical minerals lists as enablers for an electrified future.

Under Victoria's change, all new renewable projects in Victoria will be eligible for an accelerated pathway - removing third-party appeals at VCAT and the kind of the planning panel process which began today.

The Mallee mine hearings will run for 21 days across six weeks.

This first week the hearings are in Melbourne to kick off with submissions to the panel of three planning experts from VHM, Department of Transport and Planning and the Environment Protection Authority.

From there the hearings will move to The Grain Shed in Swan Hill for 14 days before concluding over several days again in Melbourne.

The Swan Hill stay will include a visit to Cannie Ridge.

A miner says it wants to get started on their mineral sands mine near Lalbert in the southern Mallee now the public has had a chance to comment on its plans.

VHM is gearing up to begin construction of the mine later this year.

The freehold land has already been bought from willing sellers for its Goshen mine which covers about 1534 hectares (3791 acres).

VHM's flagship Goschen project will mean 20-25 years of round-the-clock mining to open cut five million tonnes of mineral sands every year.

The public exhibition of its 4000-page Environmental Effects Statement was a major milestone for the project and forms the basis of these planning panel hearings.

After that a positive ministerial assessment for Goschen would allow VHM to apply for its relevant permits and mining licence (already under way), so the company can make its final investment decision.

The panel is to provide its report to the government within 40 days after those hearings but there is no timeline on the government's final decision.

VHM intends to run a water pipeline 38km from Kangaroo Lake to the Cannie Ridge mine, build a generator-driven power station, upgrade some local roads and prepare its truck convoy route from the mine to the closest rail at Ultima.

Local farmers say the Cannie Ridge is some of the most fertile cropping country in the southern Mallee.

VHM's EES allows for an extra 25 per cent of crop yields from that choice country.

But it is a key number in the report which many expect will sway the government's final decision.

"... the existing potential gross margin from growing winter cereal crops in the study area was calculated at up to $340,170 per annum (or $481,651 with a 25pc assumed yield increase for the Cannie Ridge).

"... it is estimated that the project would generate $2 billion in additional gross regional product for the Loddon-Mallee region, which equates to an average output of $206 million per annum."

"While there would be loss of agricultural income during the life of the project, this loss would be considerably offset by the additional income streams and employment opportunities provided by the project," the EES states.