Key Environmental Approval Lodged For Nickel Sulphide Project
Centaurus Metals Limited (ASX:CTM) has taken another important step towards development of its flagship Jaguar Nickel Sulphide Project in the Carajás Mineral Province of northern Brazil after lodging the key environmental approval documentation, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA/RIMA), with the State environmental authority SEMAS in the State of Pará.
The company is targeting approval of the EIA/RIMA and grant of a Preliminary Licence (LP) for the Project during Q3 2022, in line with its overall development timetable for the Jaguar Project.
The application has been made in line with the key operating parameters set out in the recent Jaguar Value-Add Scoping Study released to the market on May 31, 2021. Importantly, the application is based on producing a nickel sulphate product on site and therefore addresses the scale and operating conditions required for such an operation.
Upon delivery of the LP, the Company will apply for an Installation Licence (LI) which, once granted, will allow construction of the plant and equipment to commence on site.
From the grant of the LP, the Company would target the grant of the LI by the end of Q2 2023 to be in a position to commence construction of the plant in the second half of 2023. Once construction is completed in accordance with the LI, the Company anticipates a fairly rapid grant of the final licence-to-operate instrument, being an Operating Licence.
Centaurus has collected a large amount of data over the last 12-18 months, including data from both the wet and dry seasons, in order to complete an extensive EIA. During the course of this data collection, the Company has not identified any issues which would be an impediment to the grant of the LP or to the development of the Project.
Importantly, significant effort has been made in working with and informing the local communities and key project stakeholders regarding the scope of the Jaguar Project and the potential benefits it will bring to the communities in the region.
SEMAS places a heavy emphasis on the social and economic benefits of any new Project during the environmental approval process.
The Jaguar Project is located in an area of already cleared farm land. Over the course of the last six months the Company has acquired possession of two properties (1,550 hectares) that overlay the Jaguar Project. A third agreement is presently being negotiated.
Managing Director, Darren Gordon, said the existing agreements will assist the approval process as the majority of the farmland potentially impacted by the Project is now controlled by Centaurus.
“The lodgement of the EIA/RIMA marks another key step along our development pathway at Jaguar, and we will work closely with SEMAS over the coming months to achieve the grant of the Preliminary Licence,” Mr Gordon said.
“We have already spent a significant amount of time working with communities in the region and with key stakeholders to inform them of the benefits of the Jaguar Project development – which should help us to achieve our key environmental approvals in a timely fashion. We are currently working with the Sao Felix do Xingu municipality under a Public/Private partnership to upgrade the roads in the area surrounding the project, which will have long-term benefits for the local community as well as for the planned future operations of Centaurus.
“Once operational, the initial project is set to contribute significant employment opportunities for the region as well over R$2.0 billion (+US$400 million) in taxes and government royalties – with 65% of government royalties going direct to the local municipalities where the Jaguar Project is located. With a construction workforce of ~1,000 people and a further 650 people (direct work force and mining contractor staff) required for the operational phase, Centaurus is set to become a significant employer in the region.”
For further information please visit: https://www.centaurus.com.au
