Cr Easther was commenting on plans by Sydney-based Proto Resources to set up the open- cut mine on an old tailings site south-east of the Tamar Valley town.

Proto Resources managing director Andrew Mortimer said earlier this week that the company had applied for the mining licence and would lodge a development application with the council in the next few weeks.

Cr Easther said that Proto had also given him a briefing on the project and said it sounded "really good for the region".

"If it gets up and running, it will be really good for employment and really good for the local economy," Cr Easther said.

There was still a long application process for the company to go through, but its success would mean another industry for the northern part of the municipality which really needed it, Cr Easther said.

"The types of people that they tell me that they need are the types of skills that we already have here like boilermakers, welders, electricians and process workers," he said.

Mr Mortimer said that nearly 100 people would be employed once the project was up and running.

Cr Easther said that the proposed mining operation would give some surety to the area where the only other major industry was the Beaconsfield gold mine.

"We all understand that the Beaconsfield gold mine won't go on forever and to have a company like this come in for quite a number of years would be encouraging," he said.