PERTH (miningweekly.com) - Both the state and federal governments have given the environmental nod for ASX-listed Flinders Mines to develop its flagship Pilbara iron-ore project.
The company reported on Monday that the environmental approvals for the 15-million-ton-a-year operation significantly de-risked the project, and added that the existing approvals also reinforced that the project could be developed in an environmentally acceptable manner.
Flinders had been moving forward with the Pilbara mine development since the A$554-million takeover deal with Russia’s Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works fell through in the middle of last year.
The company said it would continue to progress the remaining approvals pending the finalisation of infrastructure access arrangements and the start of mine construction activities.
Native title and mining lease approvals have already been granted for the Pilbara project, based on the current iron-ore resource of 917-million tons.
First production has been targeted for the second half of 2015.