In early 2026, Gippsland Critical Minerals is proposing to construct a mining and demonstration pit to put our mining methods into practice – from dust and water management through to backfilling and rehabilitation.

The Demonstration Pit will test technical and environmental approaches enabling us to measure and share on-site results before full-scale mining begins. We’re undertaking this Demonstration Pit as part of our commitment to best practice design and transparency of our operations.

Excavation and backfilling will take around three months. Revegetation of the backfilled pit will then begin, with monitoring ongoing. This will track vegetation growth, soil health and land stability to test and demonstrate that the land can be productive and returned to productive agricultural use.

The Demonstration Pit program is not a pass or fail test. It is a scientific study with detailed data collected across many areas. We are collaborating with experts who have experience in Latrobe Valley mine rehabilitation, as well as local soils and conditions. Their expertise, together with our technical and environmental team, will ensure the results are robust and guide rehabilitation and mining practices for the life of the project.

Construction works on the Demonstration Pit are pending approval from the Victorian Government and are expected to commence in January 2026.