PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has approved ASX-listed KBL Mining’s development of the Sorby Hills silver/lead/zinc project.
KBL has completed a prefeasibility study for a Stage 1 development at Sorby Hills based on a conventional openpit mine and sulphide flotation concentrator operation, which will deliver 400 000 t/y of ore.
The mine will produce 20 000 t/y of lead and 800 000 t/y of silver over its ten-year life-of-mine, and will require a capital investment of A$70-million.
EPA chairperson Paul Vogel said on Tuesday that several environmental factors were examined during the assessment of the proposal, including potential impacts to vegetation and flora, marine environmental quality, human health and the ability to rehabilitate the area following the mine’s closure.
Vogel said while examining the proposal at the highest level of a Public Environmental Review, the EPA was concerned with the initial inclusion of an artificial wetland, in particular the capability of determining whether the water entering the wetland was of suitable quality.
“The EPA had a strong preference for the proponent to replace the artificial wetland with an evaporation basin and we are pleased the proponent took the EPA’s concerns on board and modified the proposal,” he said.
The EPA head added that the proposal footprint was also reduced from 767.25 ha to 573 ha during the assessment process.
KBL stated that it would progress the feasibility study, mining permits and operational licences for the Sorby Hills project, in preparation for project financing, construction and operations.
Current timing expectations would see KBL start construction by mid-2014, with operations expected to start 12 months later.