PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has given environmental approval to the Earl Grey lithium project being developed by Covalent Lithium.
The opencut operation is expected to produce between three-million and five-million tonnes a year of lithium ore, with the pit to be developed over multiple stages over a 40-year mine life.
The EPA said that some 100-million tonnes of ore would be mined over the life of the project.
EPA chairperson Dr Tom Hatton said the EPA found the Earl Grey proposal could be environmentally acceptable, if certain conditions were implemented to avoid and minimise potential impacts.
“This is the second largest lithium mining proposal, along with the Greenbushes mine expansion, the EPA has assessed this year,” Hatton said.
“If the proposal is to go ahead, the EPA is recommending the proponent prepares management plans for its impact to the surrounding environment, including habitat for malleefowl and chuditch, as well as develop an offsets strategy for threatened flora and fauna to counterbalance the proposal’s significant residual impacts.”
Hatton noted that if implemented the proposal would result in the rehabilitation and use of many areas of the abandoned Mt Holland mine site that may otherwise not be readily rehabilitated.
The mine occurs in an area overlapping the abandoned Mt Holland gold mine.
The EPA’s report to the Minister for Environment is now open for a two-week public appeal period, closing October 28.