PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Axiom Mining has submitted an application for a prospecting licence over the Isabel nickel project, in the Solomon Islands, with the local Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification promising that it would run an ‘inclusive and transparent’ process in the awarding of a licence.
Axiom in May had its mining licence over the Kolosori nickel tenement, which hosted the Isabel project, revoked by the Solomon Islands Court of Appeal, after Japanese major Sumitomo Metal Mining filed a suit claiming that the government should not have cancelled its own licence to develop the Isabel project.
The Ministry said this week that it would conduct a transparent process for the new licence to avoid further legal implications and the delay of the development of mineral rights at Isabel.
“We are pleased that the Ministry has committed to an inclusive and transparent process for applications to sustainably develop the Isabel nickel deposits,” said Axiom CEO Ryan Mount.
“Axiom and our landowner partners’ investment in the Isabel nickel project goes beyond 18 months of extensive exploration and mine planning to define the first five years of production; we upskilled our local workforce and worked with local communities to develop small businesses and community infrastructure.”
Mount said he was confident in the company’s strong ties with the customary landowners and the robust technical work undertaken to date, which it was hoped would give Axiom a competitive advantage during the new application process.