JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) - Joint venture (JV) partners Metallica Minerals and Ozore Resources have lodged the mining lease application for the Urquhart bauxite project with the Queensland Mines and Natural Resources department, which they hope will be granted by late next year.
Metallica said in a statement on Thursday that the application comprises 1 378 ha over the Urquhart bauxite resource.
The company reported that the JV was undertaking an internal conceptual development study and had also started environmental studies, including the completion of a wet season flora and fauna environmental survey required as part of the environmental approval process.
“Permitting, environmental studies, traditional landowner meetings, technical evaluations and other work will continue into 2016, with the objective of achieving the grant of a mining lease as soon as possible, currently targeted in late 2016,” Metallica said.
A recently completed resource announcement confirmed that a major portion of the Urquhart project’s current resource was suitable for direct shipping bauxite, which the JV planned to truck to and then barge from one of three barge points under consideration.
The Urquhart project is situated about 5 km from Weipa on the Cape York peninsula.