Minerals Week 2026: using AI to cut delays for mining, housing and energy approvals

Australia’s mining sector has proposed the groundbreaking use of AI for mining project approvals through a $13 million investment in a three-year pilot program to embed AI into environmental regulatory decision-making with the potential for a long-term benefit of up to $1 billion.

The Minerals Council of Australia has asked the Federal Government to fund a pilot which would trial AI support for human decision-making to improve the transparency and accuracy of assessment and approvals under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity (EPBC) Act.

Releasing the pilot proposal during Minerals Week 2026 in Canberra, MCA CEO Tania Constable said delays in EPBC approval processes are a handbrake on the economy, creating severe bottlenecks for job-creating developments.

Multiple mining projects, more than 5000 kms of transmission lines and 26,000 homes are caught up in an approvals backlog.

An increase in average decision times for resources projects of 60% from 2.3 years in 2019 to 3.8 years in 2025 is creating uncertainty, costing the Australian economy billions and eroding investor confidence.

The proposed pilot would cut through inefficient manual document reviews, inconsistent application of conditions and repeated lengthy requests for information by using AI to deliver fairer and more predictable outcomes, enabling regulators to focus effort on the most complex and high-risk approvals.

The first solution is estimated to take around 12-20 weeks, and the total program development across the four solutions is estimated to take 6-12 months. A smaller amount of ongoing capital investment will enable continuous improvement and system evolution.

AI tools such as an interactive submissions coach for project proponents, a pre-submission quality check, geospatial data integration and tracking and a risk comparison capability would reduce proponent errors in applications, eliminate duplication, and support faster, better-informed decisions.

Amazon Web Services is committed to partnering with the MCA to deliver the pilot program, subject to Federal Government approval of the MCA’s pilot proposal.

MCA CEO Tania Constable said embedding AI in approvals can position Australia as a global leader in sustainable development and in responsible innovation using the minerals sector’s extensive use of AI in current operations and understanding of EPBC processes.

‘In mining alone, a 12-month delay across the new project pipeline is estimated to cost the Australian economy $51 billion in cumulative GDP, and bottlenecks are worsening as volumes of approvals driven by renewables and critical minerals projects continue to increase.

‘We know that EPBC delays and uncertainty can result in millions of dollars in lost project value, duplication of costs, and missed investment opportunities which negatively affects communities and the Australian economy as well as project proponents.

‘This approach would help government deliver modern, efficient environmental regulation while meeting environmental objectives.’

AI is already being used here and overseas to reduce approval delays. For example:

• NSW has an AI solution to review building permit applications as part of the State Significant Development process, automate compliance checks and accelerate assessments
• In the mining-intensive Canadian province of British Columbia, Mining Digital Services built an AI-powered searchable library that extracts and verifies permit conditions from .pdf documents, reducing reliance on institutional knowledge and enabling faster compliance reporting
• PermitAI developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the United States – currently in testing phase – supports environmental reviews by searching prior assessment and assist document drafting. PermitAI has already improved data quality and access, enhanced search capability and streamlined the public comment process.

‘Now is the best time to act on a generational opportunity to align environmental stewardship with economic productivity along with integrating the latest technology into the newly-established Federal Environment Protection Authority and Environment Information Australia,’ Ms Constable said.

‘The window for action is short, and decisive investment will determine whether these reforms deliver the structural, efficiency, and transparency gains Australia urgently requires.’