South Star Battery Metals Corp. (TSX-V:STS, OTCQB:STSBF) announced that its Phase 2 and Phase 3 environmental permits have been approved for its Santa Cruz Graphite Mine located in Bahia, Brazil.
The company said the Phase 2 and Phase 3 environmental permits were approved largely in line with the Phase 1 permit.
Subsequently, five of the principal claims were approved by the regional office of the National Mining Agency and forwarded to the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) in Brasilia for the final review of the life-of-mine permit applications.
"This important approval is another big achievement for Santa Cruz and is a key step forward in derisking our future operations and scaling our production at a critical time for battery metals,” South Star president Richard Pearce said.
Pearce noted that once the full mining concessions incorporating Phases 2 and 3 are approved by the MME, the company will be able to increase its Phase 1 production to nameplate capacity of 13,000 tons per annum, up from 5,000 tons per annum.
“Our goal is to have all permits/licenses in hand shortly for 50,000 tons per annum of production and advancing the Santa Cruz feasibility study so we are ready to make an investment decision shortly after delivery of the report in December 2024,” he said.
South Star is a Canadian battery metals project developer focused on the selective acquisition and development of near-term production projects in the Americas.