First sod turned for huge mine near Alice

Key points

• Construction has begun on the Arafura Rare Earths Nolans Project, 135km north of Alice Springs. The federal government is contributing $1.2 billion to the $1.6 billion project, which is expected to supply 4-5% of global rare earth demand.
• The mine and processing plant will employ over 600 workers during construction and around 350 ongoing, with a 250-bed workforce accommodation site set to open by the end of next month.
• The project is expected to annually produce US$610 million worth of rare earths and US$79 million worth of phosphoric acid.