Australian resources company Cape Lambert Resources announced in October that a large-scale mining licence for the company’s wholly owned Marampa iron-ore project, in Sierra Leone, has been approved.
Marampa, which is about 90 km north-east of Freetown, is a specular hematite project currently at the permitting and development stage.
The project comprises two granted exploration licences – 239.18 km2 and 66 km2 respectively – held by wholly owned Cape Lambert Resources subsidiary Marampa Iron Ore.
In April 2013, Marampa was issued its environmental licence for the project, which marked the first key step in the permitting process. In November 2013, an application for a large-scale mining licence was lodged with the relevant Sierra Leone authorities.
Cape Lambert Resources received a letter from the Sierra Leone Ministry of Mineral Resources advising that its application for a mining licence had, on the advice of the Minerals Advisory Board, met the requirements for such a licence and has been approved. The approval is subject to the company notifying the Minister of its acceptance of the proposed licence within 60 days of the notification letter, as well as making payment of the yearly mining licence fee.
Following the grant of the mining licence, Cape Lambert Resources will start negotiations with the Sierra Leone Ministry of Mineral Resources (MMR) on the mine lease agreement, which is expected to take between six and nine months to finalise.
Cape Lambert Resources executive chairperson Tony Lambert says: “I am delighted that the MMR has finally approved the grant of Marampa’s mining licence so that we can get on with the process of negotiating the mine lease agreement, which will provide another level of confidence for potential investors or acquirers of the project.”