Australian junior salt and sulfate of potash producer BCI Minerals Ltd., West Perth, said it has secured all secondary approvals required for the main construction at its 100 percent owned Mardie Salt & Potash Project on the Pilbara coast of Western Australia (GM Oct. 21, 2021).
The secondary approvals include: a Mining Proposal approved by the Department of Mines, Industry, Regulation, and Safety (DMIRS); the Part V Works Approval granted by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER); and all necessary consents under Section 18 of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 issued by the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.
Together, and in conjunction with the mining tenure recently secured, these approvals have allowed main construction of the definitive feasibility study footprint to commence, BCI said.
Mardie will ultimately include a 100 km2 evaporation pond and crystallizer system, two processing plants, and a new export facility, and will produce 5.35 million mt/y of salt and 140,000 mt/y of sulfate of potash fertilizer.
The company aims to complete construction of pond 1 and fill it with seawater within six months, which, according to BCI’s Managing Director Alwyn Vorster, will represent the commencement of production and keep the company on track to achieve first salt sales in late 2024.