PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Rare earths developer Arafura Resources has taken a step closer to the development of its Nolans project, after the Northern Territory Environmental Protection Authority finalised the terms of reference for the project’s environmental-impact statement (EIS).
The receipt of the terms of reference would allow Arafura’s EIS consultants to recalibrate the scope of the EIS studies to ensure that the EIS addressed all the issues raised.
Arafura told shareholders on Wednesday that work was continuing on a number of baseline studies for the Nolans project, including biodiversity, groundwater, emissions and archeology.
The company has also started engagements with key stakeholders earlier this year, along with social-impact assessments.
Arafura was hoping to start production at the Nolans project in 2019, with production targeted at 20 000 t/y of rare earth oxide equivalent.