JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Aim-listed Sylvania Platinum, which sought to mine platinum-group metals and base metals at the Volspruit project, in Limpopo, has clarified that the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET) has asked it to provide additional information to its final environmental-impact assessment (EIA).

AfriForum on Wednesday reported that LEDET had rejected the final EIA

Sylvania on Thursday denied these claims and said it had until July 19 to submit an amended EIA.

It noted that the LEDET had, in May, formally requested clarification on matters related to the project’s water consumption and that additional work on the EIA be done to include a biodiversity and wetland offset strategy to address any potential loss of flora and fauna species or potential damage to the wetland located near the northern mining pit perimeter.

“Such an offset strategy is accepted mitigation against the risk of potential loss of classified sensitive biodiversity in terms of environmental legislation and is generally only done at the specific request of the LEDET,” the company noted.

Sylvania explained that, over the past week, the EIA practitioner had released a statement to interested and affected parties detailing the latest correspondence received from the LEDET, and explained that meetings would be held to confirm further actions to be taken by the company to address concerns and submit an amended EIA.

“We will be ready to submit the required clarification and a suitable offset strategy for consideration by the LEDET prior to the [deadline],” the company stated.

It remained optimistic that EIA would be accepted, as the detailed environmental-impact study – the culmination of some four years' effort by a considerable team of specialists – did not find any fatal flaws within the proposed project.