Kingston Resources Ltd (ASX:KSN) has submitted the environmental inception report (EIR) for its Misima Gold Project in PNG marking the formal start of the environmental approvals process.
With the submission of the EIR with the PNG Government’s Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA) for initial review, the company has passed a key milestone in its strategy to return the flagship Misima Gold Project to production.
The PNG Environment Act 2000 requires a developer to submit an EIR outlining the key environmental and social issues associated with the proposed project and the intended scope of investigations to address these in the subsequent Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
Start working on EIS
Kingston managing director Andrew Corbett said: “We are very excited to be taking the first steps down the environmental approvals pathway for our Misima Gold Project.
“Our initial engagement with CEPA has been very constructive, with the quality of the work we have presented benefiting from the operating history of the site and extensive data available to the company.”
Environmental approval process
The company will formally present the EIR to CEPA shortly to seek its feedback and finalise the scope for the EIS.
Kingston must obtain the environment permit before a Mining Licence (ML) can be issued under the PNG Mining Act 1992 to the company.
It is looking forward to work closely with the CEPA and the local people as it works through this important new phase in the project’s advancement.
Kingston believes previous mining activities offer an opportunity to investigate the nature, extent and duration of previous impacts and their recovery, to predict potential impacts because of restarting of the mining operations.
An EIS will present the results of these investigations.
The company has appointed Coffey, which has been involved with Misima since 1982 and has a long history of successfully operating in PNG, as the lead consultant on the EIR/EIS program
Next steps
Baseline environmental data collection continues on Misima alongside the current 8,000 metres diamond drill program.
The pre-feasibility study is also on track for completion in the current quarter.
Corbett said: “Work on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will now commence and run alongside ongoing mining studies, including the pre-feasibility study which remains on track for completion this quarter.”