No permit issued for Frieda project: Mori

By SHIRLEY MAULUDU
ENVIRONMENT, Conservation and Climate Change Minister Wera Mori says no environment permit has been issued for the Frieda River copper/gold project in West Sepik.
He was commenting on reports that a permit had been issued to the operator PanAust Ltd.
“The (permit has) not (been) granted yet,” he said.
Earlier this year, Mori said PanAust had the licence and was conducting exploration activities.
“Frieda River is an ongoing project, meaning that the company (PanAust) that has got the licence, and is still conducting exploration,” he said.
He said the company would upgrade the degree of confidence they had on the ore body and the type and style of mineralisation before submitting their plans and mining development proposal to the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority and Mineral Resources Authority.
“In the mining development plan that they will submit, they will note the nature and style, the volume, and the mining rate (how much tone they are going to mine a year), with both the commercial minerals. From there, discussions will follow.”
PanAust announced the completion of the project’s feasibility study in May, 2016.
The following month, a special mining lease application for the project was registered with the MRA. In December of the same year, PanAust announced the completion of the project’s environmental impact statement and that an electronic copy of the document was lodged with CEPA.