The Czech Environment Ministry has approved the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) for the Chvaletice manganese project, TSX- and ASX-listed Euro Manganese reported on Wednesday.
The ESIA is the key gating permit from which subsequent permits can follow, including the land planning permit and construction permit. Receipt of the ESIA also allows the company to progress to the final determination of the mining lease for the project.
Describing the ESIA approval as a major milestone, Euro Manganese president and CEO Matthew James said that it was the culmination of a four-year process, where 14 separate government authorities were required to provide positive opinion, before the public could have their say.
No comments were received from the public, nongovernmental organisations or regional municipalities.
“We look forward to advancing the now more procedural follow-on permits to develop a world-class facility capable of producing high-purity manganese, an essential component in lithium-ion batteries for EV [electric vehicles],” said James.
The Chvaletice project is a unique waste-to-value recycling and remediation opportunity involving reprocessing old tailings from a decommissioned mine. It is also the only sizable resource of manganese in the European Union, strategically positioning the company to provide battery supply chains with critical raw materials to support the global shift to a circular, low-carbon economy.
Meanwhile, Euro Manganese announced the appointment of Australian chemical engineer Tim Kindred as project director for Chvaletice.
He will initially be based in Perth, Australia and will relocate to the Czech Republic during the construction phase of the project.