UK-based London Mining, a global miner which supplies the steel industry, has announced that it has been issued by the Sierra Leone Environmental Protection Agency (SLEPA) with its environmental permits for the development and operation of its Marampa iron ore mine in Sierra Leone.
The issuance of the permit follows the formal approval and acceptance by SLEPA of London Mining's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which had been discussed in four public hearings in Sierra Leone.
The permit is subject to an annual renewal, which requires ongoing environmental compliance with Sierra Leonean law and the payment of an annual fee.
In November 2010, London Mining said it expected to start production of concentrate at the Marampa project in Q2 2011, and also announced its plans to boost production from the Marampa project Phase 1 to 1.8 million mt of concentrate per year and then to 3.6 million mt per year in 2012. The total mineral resource at Marampa stands at 533 million mt of primary ore and 37 million mt of tailings.