PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Members of the public will have until September 20 to comment on Canadian firm First Quantum’s plans to expand its Ravensthorpe operations, in Western Australia.
The Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) this week released documents in which First Quantum applied to expand its operations by mining the Hale-Bopp and Shoemaker-Levy orebodies.
First Quantum has also applied for a revision of the alignment of the infrastructure corridor between the Shoemaker-Levy orebody and the processing area.
Mining operations in the proposed Hale-Bopp openpit will use the same processes as the existing operations, and ore from the pit will be transported via an existing access road to the same processing facility.
The revised corridor between the Shoemaker-Levy orebody will be used to transport ore from this mine initially via road, and then later by conveyor, to the existing ore processing site.
Furthermore, First Quantum is also hoping to incorporate neutralised tailings to the reject rocks used to backfill the mine pits and re-establish hill topographies.
The expansion will mean the clearing of up to 113 ha of land within a 252 ha development envelope.
The current Ravensthorpe operation includes a 38 000 t/y nickel plant and the project has a mine life of 30 years.