Proponent: Groote Eylandt Mining Company Pty Ltd (GEMCO)
Overview
To construct, install and operate water management infrastructure (pumps, pipes and marine outfall) for the transport of water from a water storage area north of Angurugu River via the Rowell Highway alignment and the Milner Bay Port Facility, and discharge it in Milner Bay.
The proposed action is located on NT Portions 1031, 1305, 1306, 1632, 1669 & 1671 on the western side of Groote Eylandt at / adjacent to the Port, Rowell Highway and GEMCO’s Western Leases.
The water management infrastructure is proposed to have a water discharge capacity of up to 80 gigalitres per annum to manage increased saline groundwater ingress into the mining quarries as the pit depth increases and mining progresses towards the coast.
Stage 1: Referral
NT EPA notices
- Direction to provide additional information - EP Reg 40 – 11 March 2025 PDF (156.7 KB)
- Notice of decision and statement of reasons extend specified period – 26 June 2025 PDF (65.2 KB)
- Notice of decision and statement of reasons extend specified period – 11 August 2025 PDF (62.0 KB)
- Notice of decision to accept referral for standard assessment – 21 August 2025 PDF (1.2 MB)
- Notice of decision and statement of reasons – assessment by SER – 28 October 2025 PDF (91.0 KB)
Public consultation
Statutory notice (22 August 2025)
The NT EPA published a statutory notice on 22 August 2025 to invite public comment on the referral for standard assessment submitted by Groote Eylandt Mining Company Pty Ltd (GEMCO) for the GEMCO Excess Water Disposal Project, located on Groote Eylandt within the East Arnhem Local Government area, and the land tenure is a mix of Aboriginal freehold, Mineral Lease (North) and Special Purpose Lease.
Interested persons were invited to make a submission by 19 September 2025. The NT EPA published the notice in accordance with regulation 52(1) of the Environment Protection Regulations 2020.
Documents
| Referral | Type |
|---|---|
| Referral form | PDF 381.6 KB |
| Referral main report | PDF 5.4 MB |
| Appendix A – Pre-referral screening report | PDF 728.6 KB |
| Appendix B – Marine Discharge Modelling | PDF 9.4 MB |
| Appendix C – Terrestrial Ecology Assessment report | PDF 16.9 MB |
| Appendix D – Marine Ecology Assessment report | PDF 17.1 MB |
| Appendix E – Air Quality Assessment report | PDF 10.5 MB |
| Appendix F – Greenhouse Gas Assessment report | PDF 6.3 MB |
| Appendix G – Cultural Heritage Assessment report (redacted) | PDF 11.7 MB |
| Appendix H – Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment report | PDF 8.9 MB |
| Appendix I – PMST search data | PDF 132.4 KB |
| Response to Environmental Protection Regulation 40 further information request | |
| RFI Response 1 – 25 July 2025 | PDF 15.2 MB |
| RFI Response 2 – 15 August 2025 | PDF 12.1 MB |
| Submissions received on the referral | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Government authority submissions | ||
| 1 | Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority | PDF 489.2 KB |
| 2 | Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | PDF 207.4 KB |
| 3 | Department of Lands, Planning and Environment | PDF 581.4 KB |
| Public submissions | ||
| 4 | Anindilyakwa Land Council | PDF 4.3 MB |
Stage 2: Assessment
Supplementary environment report (SER)
NT EPA notices
- Direction to provide additional information in the supplementary environmental report (SER) – 20 November 2025 PDF (72.7 KB)
- Direction to provide additional information on the SER – EP Reg 124(1) – 13 April 2026 PDF (606.0 KB)
Public consultation
Statutory notice (5 February 2026)
The NT EPA published a statutory notice on 5 February 2026 inviting public comment on the supplementary environmental report submitted for the GEMCO Excess Water Disposal Project, by Groote Eylandt Mining Company Pty Ltd (GEMCO).
Interested persons were invited to make a submission by 12 March 2026. The NT EPA published the notice in accordance with regulation 122 of the Environment Protection Regulations 2020.
SER documents
| SER documents | Type |
|---|---|
| SER – Main Report | PDF 16.0 MB |
| SER – Appendices A-E | PDF 19.8 MB |
| Submissions received on the SER | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Government authority submissions | ||
| 1 | Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority | PDF 492.6 KB |
| 2 | Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | PDF 197.7 KB |
| 3 | Department of Lands, Planning and Environment | PDF 671.8 KB |
| Public submissions | ||
| 4 | Anindilyakwa Land Council | PDF 667.1 KB |
| Response to Environmental Protection Regulation 124(1) Direction for Additional Information | Type |
|---|---|
| GEMCO Response to SER Direction | PDF 1.5 MB |
| Quarry Analyte distributions | CSV 63.7 KB |
| Cleaned Quarry Data | CSV 1.4 MB |
| All Analytes Flow Adjusted | CSV 28.1 KB |
| GEMCO Quarry Annual Water Volumes | CSV 819 BYTES |
In accordance with regulation 126(1) of the Environment Protection Regulations 2020, the NT EPA invited the DLPE Flora and Fauna Division, the DLPE Mining Division and the Anindilyakwa Land Council to make a submission on the additional information provided by GEMCO under regulation 124(1).
| Submissions received on the additional information | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Government authority submissions | ||
| 1 | Department of Lands, Planning and Environment | PDF 631.9 KB |
| Public submissions | ||
| 2 | Anindilyakwa Land Council | PDF 576.0 KB |