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About Gonneville
No. The Project does not include a mine in the Julimar State Forest.
The Gonneville PGM-Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project is located on Chalice-owned farmland to the south. This land is already approximately 56% cleared from previous agricultural use.
Chalice does not limit community access to the State Forest.
Chalice made the decision to restrict the Gonneville PGM-Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project mine development area to farmland only, avoiding the Julimar State Forest. This decision was a direct response to community feedback about the importance of the State Forest.
No. The Gonneville PGM-Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project is not yet a mine.
The Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) includes more detailed investigations into how the Gonneville PGM-Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project can be environmentally sound, economically viable and socially responsible.
If Chalice is successful in gaining all required approvals, and the Project is found to be viable, it is estimated that construction and operations would occur later this decade.
Chalice commenced environmental approvals process with the State and Commonwealth governments in March 2024.
The deposit discovered at Gonneville hosts a rare mix of critical minerals – palladium, platinum, nickel, copper and cobalt.
These minerals are essential to modern life and are used in technologies such as; pollution management devices for cars, electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, electronics like phones and laptops, energy storage technologies, and green hydrogen generation.
These minerals are required in large quantities to decarbonise the global economy and significant shortages are predicted.
The Gonneville deposit contains approximately 17 million ounces of palladium and platinum, 960 thousand tonnes of nickel, 540 thousand tonnes of copper and 96 thousand tonnes of cobalt.
The Gonneville PGM-Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project has the potential to become an important critical minerals mine that could deliver substantial economic and social benefits to the state and local communities.
Chalice’s geologists discovered the Gonneville deposit in early 2020 after investigating publicly available data. This data showed promising geological features at the Gonneville location, consistent with an area that may contain minerals. This prompted Chalice to apply for exploration tenements in the region and complete further exploration activities. Initial drilling completed proved that there are minerals at the Gonneville location, with the first drill hole samples showing high levels of nickel and palladium.
For more information about early exploration techniques, see the AMEC information sheets on the Chalice Mining website: click here to read
Chalice has been engaging with Traditional Owners since 2021. The Gonneville PGM-Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project is located in the Whadjuk Indigenous Land Use Agreement Area.
Cultural Heritage surveys have been conducted by Whadjuk Traditional Owners across the entire Mine Development Area. Whadjuk have also participated in environmental surveys that have been completed at Gonneville and the broader region.
Chalice will prioritise local employment and procurement wherever possible and expects these opportunities to grow significantly throughout construction and operations. Current opportunities are limited as work is focused on desktop studies such as engineering and regulatory approvals.
Currently the preference for operation is a residential workforce ie. workers who will attend work at site and return home daily. This approach may involve transport hubs or alternate transport options to be created for workers to access site, reducing traffic impacts. What these arrangements look like will depend on the location of the workforce.
There is a range of ways you can contact Chalice to receive more information or ask questions about the Gonneville PGM-Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project:
Gonneville PGM-Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project Facebook Page – Click here to follow us on Facebook for regular updates or ask a question directly by messaging the page
In person: Visit the Chalice Toodyay Office to speak to our team, pick up information sheets and discuss any questions you have. Our office is at 5 Charcoal Lane, Toodyay (next to IGA), open every Thursday morning from 8.30-11.30am
Email: community@chalicemining.com
Phone: Call our team on 0487 371 961 (9am – 4pm, Monday to Friday)
Environmental Approvals
The approval processes are expected to take approximately three years to complete. Before it can be approved, the Project will be subject to a comprehensive environmental assessment by the State and Commonwealth governments. Once the assessments have begun, Chalice will prepare an Environmental Review Document (ERD) outlining the proposed mine and the outcomes of the further studies currently in progress. The ERD will be made available for the community to review and comment on as the Project develops.
No. The timeline in the Environmental Scoping Document is indicative rather than fixed. Preparation of Environmental Review Document is underway, with first draft submission to the EPA now targeting late 2026.
We will communicate any updates to the environmental review process – as they happen – on our website. You can also subscribe to updates on the Environmental Protection Authority website here.
Yes. Chalice has asked both the WA Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) to formally amend the Gonneville PGM-Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project proposals that are currently under assessment.
The State request is made under section 43a of the Environmental Protection Act 1986, which is the process for amending a proposal while it is still being assessed. The Commonwealth request is made under section 156a of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), which is the equivalent process for varying a referred proposed action.
The amendment includes reduced clearing at the proposed mine site, removal of underground mining, a small increase in clearing along the mine site access roads for safety, addition of on-site solar power alongside the grid connection, and a single preferred infrastructure corridor for the water pipeline and powerline.
The Project was referred for assessment in March 2024, and engineering studies, environmental surveys and community and landholder feedback have continued since then.
Where that work identifies a better outcome – we ask the regulators to amend the proposal so that what is assessed reflects what we intend to build.
Amending the proposal during assessment is a normal part of the process.
Yes. The amendments will be available on the EPA and EPBC websites in coming weeks.
Development
A new ~27 km, 132 kV dual-circuit transmission line is proposed from the mine site to the South West Interconnected System at Muchea Substation. This is the base case Chalice is designing to.
Chalice has made a design decision to install the transmission line underground through the rural residential zone near Maryville Heights, as defined under the Shire of Chittering’s Local Planning Scheme (gazetted March 2026). This reflects community feedback and aligns with the Shire of Chittering’s adopted position on infrastructure through residential areas.
For an example of the height of the 132 kV base case, view Western Power’s transmission line comparison graphic here (number 5).
Chalice will not draw groundwater from the Perth Basin for mining operations. The preferred approach is to use treated recycled water from the Alkimos Water Resource Recovery Facility – water that is currently discharged to the ocean. This repurposes an existing, underutilised water source and avoids any impact on local groundwater resources.
This will be supplied to the mine via an approximately 63km water pipeline to be developed by Chalice Mining. A preferred corridor route has been identified and is now subject to further environmental assessment and landholder engagement.
Transportation corridors are still in design with road and/or existing rail infrastructure options being considered in consultation with government agencies and other stakeholders.
Transport requirements and potential routes will continue to be investigated throughout the approvals process.
Yes. The Gonneville deposit starts at surface and therefore an initial open pit mine is proposed on Chalice-owned farmland. In later years, the Project may progress into an underground mine.
A conceptual Mine Closure Plan (MCP) will be investigated and finalised during the environmental approvals process. The Project will develop the MCP in consultation with stakeholders and in accordance with the Mining Act 1978. Mine closure will only be complete after Chalice fulfils the requirements of the closure plan and can prove that the final rehabilitated land is safe, stable and non-polluting.
The Board of Chalice Mining has endorsed the ‘Gonneville PGM-Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project Neighbouring Land Acquisition Plan‘ for the acquisition of residential land in the immediate vicinity of the Gonneville PGM-Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project Mine Development Area. In short, this Plan applies to residential landowners living in the immediate vicinity of the Gonneville PGM-Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project Mine Development Envelope whose amenity, value or enjoyment of their property would be impacted by a mine development. This Plan may be reviewed and amended where necessary to ensure that it remains relevant and appropriate.
This Plan does not apply to land specifically required for the development of supporting infrastructure for the Gonneville PGM-Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project. These properties would be subject to a separate negotiation and land access process on a case-by-case basis.
Infrastructure Corridor
In addition to the mine development area on Chalice-owned farmland, the Gonneville PGM-Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project requires off-site infrastructure to supply water and power to the mine. This is known as the Infrastructure Development Envelope (IDE).
The IDE includes a water pipeline to bring treated recycled water from the Alkimos Water Resource Recovery Facility to the mine site, and a 132 kV power line connecting the mine site to the South West Interconnected System at Muchea Substation (approximately 27 km).
Both the water pipeline and power line corridors are subject to legislated environmental assessments and landholder engagement processes, which each take into account a broad range of legislative obligations. No works will commence without all required government approvals.
Yes. A preferred route has been identified for the infrastructure corridors, based on engineering data, environmental survey results from 2025, and landholder feedback.
The route is not yet final. From May 2026, Chalice is engaging directly with landholders along the preferred corridor to conduct further field investigations, address questions and concerns, and ensure the final alignment accounts for what we hear. The route may still be adjusted before the Miscellaneous Licence application is lodged, with any proposed changes to the route being publicly available and disclosed directly to affected landholders for the duration of this process.
No works will commence without all required government approvals.
No. The 100m infrastructure corridor is an assessment corridor, not a clearing footprint. It gives us flexibility in placement, safe construction access, and room to work around environmental constraints such as significant vegetation where identified. The actual disturbance footprint for both water and power will be significantly smaller than this assessment corridor and will be refined once final infrastructure design and survey work are complete.
Yes. Chalice has made a design decision to place the power line underground through the rural residential zone near Maryville Heights in the Shire of Chittering. This decision reflects community feedback and aligns with the Shire of Chittering’s adopted position on infrastructure through residential areas.
The underground section applies to the rural residential zone as defined under the Shire of Chittering’s Local Planning Scheme No. 6 (gazetted March 2026). The underground section also extends onto agricultural land that directly borders the rural residential zone, to protect residential amenity where the two zones meet. For other parts of the corridor, Chalice continues to work directly with each landholder to understand their concerns and minimise impacts on a property-by-property basis.
The underground section corresponds to the rural residential zone (and directly bordering agricultural land – see above), where surface infrastructure has the greatest impact on residents. For other parts of the route, Chalice continues to engage with individual landholders on minimising impacts on a property-by-property basis.
The infrastructure corridor requires a Miscellaneous Licence under the Mining Act 1978 (WA) – the standard government approval pathway for infrastructure corridors associated with mining projects.
Landholders have formal rights through the Miscellaneous Licence application and approval process, including through the lodgement of an Objection under the Mining Act to commence court proceedings and seek a formal determination of the Miscellaneous Licence application by the independent Warden’s Court.
This process runs alongside the State and Commonwealth environmental assessments already underway for the Gonneville PGM-Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project.
Chalice’s Miscellaneous Licence application is planned for later this year. No works will commence without all required approvals being granted.
Yes. In 2025, Chalice undertook a round of direct engagement with landholders along potential infrastructure corridor routes. This included written correspondence, follow-up calls and in-person meetings, and environmental field investigations on properties where landholders gave their consent.
That engagement, alongside environmental data and engineering requirements, informed the identification of the preferred route.
From May 2026, a further round of engagement is underway with landholders along the preferred corridor ahead of the planned Miscellaneous Licence application. If your property has been identified on the preferred corridor, you will have received a letter directly from Chalice.
Your engagement in consultation and any consent for field investigations that you may grant is critical to ensuring that Chalice can understand the concerns that are the most important to you to inform the corridor alignment.
No. Chalice is not proposing to acquire land as part of the proposed infrastructure corridor. The approval pathway – a Miscellaneous License under the Mining Act 1978 (WA) – allows the infrastructure tenure to co-exist with existing land ownership.
The proposed infrastructure corridor is being progressed through a Miscellaneous License under the Mining Act 1978 (WA) – the statutory approval pathway for mining-related infrastructure including powerlines, pipelines and access roads. This is a seperate process to a development application under the Planning and Development Act 2005 (WA), which applies to land use planning decisions made by local government.
The Miscellaneous License process includes formal rights for landholders and local governments to participate and, where applicable, to object.
