Cobalt Blue Holdings Ltd (ASX:COB) is seeking to have the Broken Hill Cobalt Project declared a State Significant Development approval under the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act (1979).
If successful, this status will provide an integrated assessment pathway and minimises the number of secondary environmental approvals that must be attained for a project.
The company will proceed with an application to the relevant NSW Government authorities.
CPDP delivered
This decision follows COB delivering the Conceptual Project Development Plan (CPDP) for the project to the Department of Planning, Infrastructure and Environment (Division of Resources and Geoscience) (DPIE).
Cobalt Blue’s chief executive officer Joe Kaderavek said: “COB is excited that the Department of Planning, Infrastructure and Environment has received the Conceptual Project Development Plan for the Broken Hill Cobalt Project.”
Formal application process
He said, “COB will now commence the formal application process for State Significant Development approval.”
The CPDP was presented by COB’s technical team to the DPIE on December 17, 2019.
This presentation included detailed information on:
- COB and the Broken Hill Cobalt Project;
- Deposit geology;
- Mineral resource and ore reserve;
- Mining methods and optimisation;
- Geotechnical stability;
- Mineral processing flowsheet;
- Project economics;
- Environmental issues;
- Stakeholder consultation; and
- Assessment timeframes.
The purpose of the CPDP is to demonstrate that a project is a responsible and sustainable mining proposal that can develop the mineral resources of NSW in a sound manner.
Engagement with agencies
After releasing a pre-feasibility study (PFS) in July 2018, COB has further progressed the project and engaged with agencies of the NSW Government and the broader Broken Hill community.
This has been done in a bid to ensure that the project addresses the strict environmental, social and economic requirements for State Significant mining projects in NSW.
The overall Broken Hill Cobalt Project development timeline.
Scoping meeting next month
On January 6, 2020, COB will hold a scoping meeting with the DPIE to discuss the nature and scale of the development, the assessment pathway, the engagement approach and the level of assessment required for the Environmental Impact Statement.
A scoping report will then be presented to DPIE to facilitate preparation of the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) which prescribe the issues and level of assessment that must be addressed in the Environmental Impact Statement.
Development consent for the project will be sought under the State Significant Development provisions under Part 4 of the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment (EP&A) Act, 1979.