Vimy starts early works at Mulga Rock

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Uranium developer Vimy Resources has received backing from the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to start preliminary work at its Mulga Rock project.

The work involves an upgrade to the existing site access road to allow for heavy equipment to be brought to site, and the construction and development of the Kakarook North borefield to supply sufficient water once construction starts.

The EPA in August gave its approval for the development of the Mulga Rock project, recommending 14 conditions and specified environmental management plans to ensure impacts to conservation significant flora, vegetation and terrestrial fauna were minimised.

Ministerial approval for the project is still being sought.

“We intend to be shovel ready when the final approval from the Minister is published, so that the first shovel in the ground can be achieved straight away,” said Vimy CEO and MD Mike Young.

“This consent enables us to process some secondary approvals in advance to support that readiness.”

Young said that there were provisions in the Act that enabled Vimy to accelerate project development by implementing some critical long-lead items in advance of final approval.

“We are simply taking advantage of these perfectly legal and sensible provisions. This consent enables us to commence preliminary minor work on our project. It reinforces our commitment to ensuring that all approvals will have been obtained and some preliminary work will have commenced by the first quarter of 2017.”

With an expected mine life of 16 years, the Mulga Rock project will mine up to 4.5-million tonnes a year of ore from four deposits to produce up to 1 360 t/y of uranium oxide concentrate. Located about 240 km east-northeast of Kalgoorlie, the project, which will also extract copper, zinc, nickel and cobalt, will transport the concentrate by road to Port Adelaide in sealed steel drums within a secure shipping container.