CHAMWE KAIRA
Okorusu Fluorspar Pty Ltd, the holder of the mining licences ML90 and ML179, intends to apply for an amendment to the conditions of its current environmental clearance certificate, documents released this week showed.
The company is applying to add a rare earth element (REE) processing plant and the cessation of graphite processing at the mine.
The company said the other amendments include cessation of processing of graphite ore at the Okorusu mine site, cessation of graphite ore haulage from Okanjande mine site, the construction and operation of a new REE processing plant upon the site of the current graphite processing plant, the construction of a new Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) for the waste material from REE processing, the haulage of REE ore from ML40, Ondoto near Ruacana, Kunene Region and the haulage of REE product to Walvis Bay harbour for export.
Okorusu has commissioned an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process and Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) for the construction and operation of the proposed mining and processing activities is required and thus an EIA application with associated support documents need to be developed for submission to the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) and to the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) for review, the documents showed.
Okorusu is currently under care and maintenance except for intermittent small-scale mining and processing of magnetite. The graphite processing plant that was constructed in 2016 has been decommissioned.
“Through the construction and operation of a new REE processing plant, the Okorusu mine has the potential once again to contribute to the Otjozondjupa region’s socio-economic development through local job creation,” the documents showed.
The company said REE processing plant construction will occur over the site of the decommissioned graphite processing plant. Construction will begin soon after the approval of the environmental clearance application, the company said.
The amendments made to the operational activities include the transport of crushed REE ore from Ondoto Mine (ML40) to the Okorusu Mine, the processing of crushed REE ore at the new REE processing plant, the deposition of processing waste within the new REE TSF and the transport of REE product to the Walvis Bay harbor. The reagents required for the treatment of the ore material will come primarily from the Tsumeb smelters.
“Reagents like lime will be shipped into Walvis Bay and transported to Okorusu by truck. The rare earth oxides final product will be in a concentrate powder form and will be packed in bags into shipping containers. The shipping containers will be trucked to Walvis Bay harbour for export. In place of graphite processing plant the new REE processing plant will be established The waste material from the processing plant will be deposited at the rare earth TSF,” the company said.
