Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources granted Minera Alamos (TSXV: MAI) an Environmental Impact Statement permit for the development of the Santana gold project in the northwestern Sonora state.
According to the miner, this new permit together with the previously announced change of land use notification provides the key approvals necessary for the construction of a commercial-scale mine and gold heap leach processing facilities at the Santana site.
Alamos can now initiate applications for other state/local permits that will be required in advance of any commercial mine production
“The company is currently well-positioned to initiate construction activities late this year with first gold production planned mid-2020,” Darren Koningen, Minera Alamos CEO, said in a media statement. “In addition, as our geological knowledge of the Santana project area has expanded dramatically over the last year, we are excited to advance our exploration efforts and to demonstrate the full resource potential of the area as we move forward with the proposed mine development.”
Koningen explained that the approved documents allow for mining approximately 73 hectares, which include the required areas for the initial development of the Nicho and Nicho Norte gold deposits as well as the related gold extraction and recovery facilities.
“The scope of the Operating Permit includes the two initial open-pit mines, waste dump areas, crushing, heap leach pad, leach solution ponds, gold recovery facilities and all related infrastructure,” the building executive said.
The permit also includes a series of standard conditions that must be met to protect and monitor the environment that surrounds the mine site.
The 8,500-hectare Santana project is a low-CAPEX, open-pit, heap-leach development project with test mining and processing recently completed.