Strategic Minerals PLC (AIM:SML) said it has lodged a revised Environmental Protection and Rehabilitation (PEPR) program for the Leigh Creek Copper mine to the Department of Energy and Mining of South Australia to address conditional elements of the approval given last July.
In the period since approval was given, it has collected samples of cover for the waste rock dumps and the subsequent testing and analysis of this material in an erosion model to evaluate cover designs, while also making an evaluation of the potential acid forming nature of the ore and waste rock, which required selecting and collecting samples from the 2019 drilling program and undertaking testing.
Strategic Minerals said this evaluation work provided a boost for the project as it identified that the waste rock at Paltridge North has a low capacity to produce acid, meaning the material can be disposed in combination with run-of-mine waste.
The company added that this version of the PEPR reflects the agreement arrived at early with the state's Department of Energy and Mining an "oxide only" submission, with highlighted statements to easily adjust for the transitional ore case.
The board expects the department to give approval for the oxide-only case, which should cover at least the first 12 months of production, then follow up with a revision to address mining the transitional ore.
"The company considers that this process will not impact the expected timing or economics for the project, as previously disclosed to the market."
Chairman Alan Broome said: "The company has worked closely with the DEM and feels confident that its review of the submitted PEPR revision will be assessed in less than the maximum statuary requirement of three months.
"Whilst no guarantees can be provided, the company is hopeful that, after this revision has been assessed by the DEM and subject to receipt of Project funding, it will be in a position to commence operations at LCCM."