PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The federal Department of Water, Agriculture and Environment (DAWE) has issued ASX-listed BCI Minerals with the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act approval for its Mardie salt and potash project, in Western Australia.
BCI told shareholders on Monday that this was a key approval which complemented the Western Australian environmental approval, granted in November of last year.
The company said that it was now on track to finalise all secondary approvals for the Mardie project, which would enable development of the Mardie project to proceed.
The A$913-million project is expected to produce 5.35-million tonnes a year of salt and 140 000 t/y sulphate of potash (SoP), over a projected mine life of at least 60 years. BCI expects construction to start in early 2022, subject to securing secondary statutory approvals.
First salt sales are targeted for the fourth quarter of 2024, and first SoP sales by the first quarter of 2026.
“The federal government’s support for Mardie is evidenced through a range of approvals, which also include A$600-million of loan facilities and a Major Project Status allocation to Mardie,” said BCI MD Alwyn Vorster.
“BCI has a strong commitment to environment and heritage protection and biodiversity conservation at Mardie,” he added.
BCI in December last year raised A$20.64-million in a share purchase plan as part of its financing efforts for the Mardie project, complementing a A$240-million underwritten share placement launched in November.