Theta Gold Mines Ltd (ASX:TGM) welcomes news that the South African Department of Water and Sanitation has awarded it the first of the two water use licences required for its TGME Underground Gold Mine.
Integral part of process
The Greater TGME integrated water use licence (WUL) forms an integral part of the TGME Underground Project, authorising all current water use activities within the area.
The granting of the WUL follows extensive environmental specialist studies conducted with detailed engineering designs to satisfy the extensive regulatory requirements for water and waste management in South Africa.
There was no public participation process required for the licence but interested and affected parties may still appeal against it. The department will inform all interested and affected parties of the granting of the licence.
In the interests of transparency, Theta Gold Mines has made sure that all its stakeholders have been informed about the licence and that its stakeholder engagement forum will be kept updated regarding compliance monitoring of the licence.
Frankfort fully permitted
With the successful grant of the licence, Theta Gold has now secured all of the regulatory licences required for the Frankfort Mine.
Theta Gold chairman Bill Guy said: “The full approvals now granted for the Frankfort Mine mark another key step forward for the development of TGME Gold Project.
“Bulk sampling work shall commence on Frankfort mine in the coming weeks with the aim to optimise mining and to maximise ore recovery.
“The full approval of the Frankfort Mine displays full recognition from all related government departments of Theta’s effort to become a responsible miner in the region.
“I would like to thank our management team and consultants who worked tirelessly on achieving such positive outcomes for the company.
“The company shall keep shareholders informed with the final two permits pending on MR83, expected by year-end.”