Dual-listed Sibanye-Stillwater has received an environmental permit for the planned mine and concentrator at its Keliber lithium project, in Finland.
The Rapasaari mine operations will comprise the extraction of ore and waste rock, disposal of the waste rock, and discharge of water from the area. The concentrator operations in Päiväneva include mineral processing, tailings and process water treatment, water intake from the river Köyhäjoki and responsible discharge of overflow to the river.
The permit decision from the Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland (AVI) includes a water management permit for the concentrator and the right to start operations despite the existence of any appeals. Since the permit decision from the AVI was published, Keliber has carefully assessed the 144 permit conditions it contains and Friday made a submission to the Vaasa Administrative Court for changes to, and/or clarification of, six of the permit conditions.
“We are pleased to have received this key environmental permit soon after being granted approval for the Keliber lithium refinery in Kokkola, which is preparing for the construction phase to start within the following weeks.
“Our aim is to advance the project within schedule while ensuring our environmental impact is as low as possible while we follow the required processes to ensure all permitting conditions are reasonable, unambiguous and will be practical to implement and adhere to,” said Sibanye-Stillwater CEO Neal Froneman.
Keliber aims to be the first European producer of battery-grade lithium hydroxide from its own mined ore reserves.
Keliber is a subsidiary of Sibanye-Stillwater, with State-owned Finnish Minerals Group as the second biggest shareholder.