PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Department of Climate Change, Energy and the Environment and Water has approved ASX-listed Queensland Pacific Metals’ plans to develop its Townsville Energy Chemicals Hub (TECH) base metals project.
The approval, under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, represented a major milestone for the company as it progressed towards a final investment decision, the company said on Friday.
The other major approvals required for the project include those from the Townsville City Council and the Queensland state government.
A previously completed prefeasibility study into the TECH project estimated that it could produce 565 714 t/y of ore containing 26 398 t of nickel sulphate, 3 097 t of cobalt sulphate, 4 007 t of high purity alumina, 327 665 t of hematite and 20 079 t of magnesia over a 30-year mine life.