Toro Energy (ASX: TOE) is a uranium explorer operating in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, South Australia and in the African country of Namibia.
The company’s Western Australian Wiluna Project is at an advanced stage in government assessment and approval. The project hosts two shallow, generally less than 10m deep, calcrete deposits with a Measured, Indicated and Inferred resource of 24.4Mlbs of contained uranium
Toro Energy gains momentum for environmental approval process at Wiluna
Emerging uranium explorer Toro Energy (ASX: TOE) has received advice from the Western Australian Government finalising how the Company’s advanced Wiluna uranium project will be assessed for environmental approvals.
Western Australia’s Minister for Environment Hon Donna Faragher has dismissed the single only appeal against the level of environmental assessment protocols for Wiluna as set by the Environmental Protection Authority.
The EPA had set the level of assessment as an Environmental Review and Management Program and this has now been confirmed by the Minister.
In dismissing the appeal against the level of assessment, the Minister has set a period of 14 weeks for public exhibition of the ERMP.
The Federal Government had previously advised Toro that the Wiluna project is a nuclear action requiring assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and that it will be dealt with under the bi-lateral agreement with the Western Australian Government.
Toro Managing Director, Mr Greg Hall, said that the Western Australian Environment Minister’s decision completed the project referral stage of the environmental assessment and approvals process for Wiluna.
The State Government last month granted approval for a resource evaluation test pit at Wiluna. That work will commence next month and over a six week period, see about 45,000 tonnes of ore and barren material removed, sampled for various geological and other test purposes, and then returned to site with the area then fully rehabilitated.
Mr Hall welcomed the decision, saying Toro would now prepare an Environmental Scoping Document which would determine the content of the ERMP.
“We plan to have the ERMP available for public exhibition in the second half of 2010 in keeping with our project schedule for planned first production to commence by early 2013," Mr Hall said.
“At the Wiluna project site, work will commence soon on the previously approved trial pit, and Toro will be lodging a mining proposal with the Western Australian Department of Mines and Petroleum to undertake a heap leach trial to enable further feasibility review of ore processing options.”
Toro recently raised A$61 million to further fund the advancement, approvals and feasibility processes for its Wiluna project, 30 kilometres south of Wiluna, along with exploration work and corporate initiatives.
