PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Western Australian Environment Minister Albert Jacob has approved the development of the Gruyere gold project, which is a joint venture (JV) between Australia’s Gold Road and South Africa’s Gold Fields, north-east of Laverton.
“Achieving environmental approval is an important milestone and clears the path for the project’s mining proposal, project management plan and works approval, all of which have been submitted,” Gold Road MD and CEO Ian Murray said on Monday.
The company expects to receive the final approvals for the A$507-million project in February, after which construction of the processing plant and development at the openpit mine will start.
The plant will have a capacity to handle 7.5-million tonnes a year of fresh ore, and up to 8.8-million tonnes a year of oxide ore, over a mine life of 13 years.
Meanwhile, Gold Road said work to dismantle and relocate the first 300 rooms of the accommodation village for the project had been completed.
The erection of the units has started and will be completed in March. Work to dismantle and install the second batch of 300 rooms will start in February, and is scheduled for completion in the June quarter.
Gold Road and Gold Fields entered into a 50:50 JV over the Gruyere project in November. The South Africa-based major paid A$350-million for its share in the project.