Rover 1 Project

Proponent: Castile Resources Pty Ltd

Overview

The Rover 1 Project is a proposed underground Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) mine located on NT Portion 3556 approximately 70 km south-west of Tennant Creek in the Barkly Regional Council Local Government Area. The land tenure is Aboriginal freehold and the total area of surface disturbance required for the mine is estimated to be approximately 177 ha.

The disturbance footprint would comprise a decline and box cut, run-of-mine pad, paste plant, a single waste rock dump covering 16 ha, and tailings storage facility (22 ha).

A beneficiation plant for the processing (crushing, grinding, gravity gold extraction, flotation, magnetic separation and filtration of ore) will produce a bulk sulphide product and a high-grade magnetite product for further offsite processing. Supporting infrastructure onsite will include an office, workshop, warehouse and accommodation village for the fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workforce.

Water for the mining operation would be supplied from dewatering the underground workings and from a groundwater bore field to be constructed nearby.

The operational life of the mine is proposed to be 10 years with rehabilitation undertaken progressively and completed 5 years after operations cease. The project is forecast to require a construction workforce of 100, and operational workforce of 122 personnel.

The proposed action is a controlled action under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 - EPBC Number: 2023/09691 with the relevant controlling provisions being:

• listed threatened species and communities (sections 18 and 18A).

The proposal is being assessed at the level of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under the bilateral agreement between the Commonwealth of Australia and the Northern Territory of Australia.

Stage 1: Referral

NT EPA notices

• Notice of decision to accept a proponent initiated EIS referral for standard assessment – 26 September 2023 PDF (972.1 KB)
• Notice of decision and statement of reasons - assessment by EIS - 9 January 2024. PDF (477.0 KB)
• Notice of decision on terms of reference - 9 January 2024 PDF (61.1 KB)
• Notice of decision and statement of reasons - extend the specified period for the draft EIS to be submitted to the NT EPA – 1 December 2025 PDF (75.7 KB)
• Notice of decision and statement of reasons about the proposed action and significant variation – 4 February 2026 PDF (80.8 KB).

Referral documents

Public consultation on the proponent initiated EIS referral

Statutory notice (4 October 2023)

The NT EPA published a statutory notice on 4 October 2023 inviting public comment on the proponent initiated environmental impact statement (EIS) referral for the Castile Resources Pty Ltd Rover 1 Project, including proponent drafted Terms of Reference for the EIS, and a proponent Statement of Reasons for why an EIS is required.

Interested persons were invited to make a submission by 15 November 2023. The NT EPA published the notice in accordance with regulation 52(1) of the Environment Protection Regulations 2020.

Terms of reference

Stage 2: Assessment

Significant variation – 8 December 2025

NT EPA notices

• NT EPA notice of decision to accept significant variation of proposed action – 8 December 2025PDF (549.3 KB)

Documents

Public consultation on the notice of significant variation

Statutory notice (12 December 2025)

The NT EPA published a statutory notice on 12 December 2025 to invite public comment on the notice of significant variation of a proposed action by Castile Resources Pty Ltd to develop the Rover 1 Project. Interested persons were invited to make a submission by 14 January 2026. The NT EPA published the notice in accordance with regulation 170(1) of the Environment Protection Regulations 2020.

The following submissions are published in accordance with regulation 267 of the Environment Protection Regulations 2020.