Bannerman Energy Limited has lodged its mining licence (ML) application for the proposed Etango-8 uranium mine with the Namibian Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME).
The Company now commences the engagement process with the MME for the grant of the ML. This includes submission of the Etango-8 Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS), which is on schedule to be completed during the December quarter.
Bannerman already has Environmental Clearance Certificates (ECC) for the Etango Uranium Project and linear infrastructure, which remain current. The ECCs were based on an extensive Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and Environmental and Social Management Plan.
Bannerman Managing Director and CEO, Brandon Munro commented: “We are pleased to have formally lodged our application with the MME for a Mining Licence at Etango. This is the culmination of extensive technical and economic evaluation of the Etango Project, including more recently on the fast-tracked Etango-8 development route. We can demonstrate a robust development case at Etango, which also delivers extensive social and economic benefits to local communities and the nation of Namibia. We now look forward to the completion of the Etango-8 DFS and working with the MME towards grant of the Etango ML.”
The Etango Uranium Project is located in the Erongo Region of Namibia, 30 kilometres south-east of Swakopmund. It possesses a World class uranium mineral resource endowment of 207 Mlbs of contained U3O8.
Etango has benefited from extensive exploration and feasibility activity over the past 15 years. This includes detailed feasibility work on a large-scale development of Etango that culminated in the 2012 Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS 2012) and 2015 DFS Optimisation Study (OS 2015). As part of these processes, we have obtained environmental permitting for the proposed Etango mine (2012) and all associated external infrastructure (2014).
In 2015, the company completed construction of its Etango Heap Leach Demonstration Plant, which ran as a pilot plant until 2020. The operation of the Demonstration Plant comprehensively de-risked the proposed heap leaching processing method for Etango, allowed optimisation of processing parameters and generated a large database of processing data.
In August 2020, Bannerman completed a Scoping Study on development of Etango at an 8Mtpa throughput rate (Etango-8). The Etango-8 Scoping Study was heavily informed by the detailed study work undertaken across all relevant disciplines as part of the DFS 2012 and the OS 2015, and operation of the Heap Leach Demonstration Plant. The Scoping Study demonstrated that this accelerated, streamlined project is strongly amenable to development – both technically and economically.
In August 2021, we completed a Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) on Etango-8. The PFS has confirmed the strong technical and economic viability of conventional open pit mining and heap leach processing of the world-class Etango deposit at 8Mtpa throughput. The level of planning rigour for Etango-8 has been bolstered through the PFS process via the inclusion of dual pit ramps in the northern and central pits, detailed plant design and higher accuracy estimation.