Metallica Minerals has lodged a mining lease application with the Queensland Department of Resources for its Cape Flattery silica sands project.
The application is for 616 hectares in far north Queensland, containing a mineral resource of 38 million tonnes (Mt).
Metallica executive chairman Theo Psaros said the application underlined the company’s determination to get Cape Flattery off the ground.
“The mining lease application reflects our confidence in our project and is an important milestone as we continue our pathway to progress the permitting and development of our exciting silica sands project,” Psaros said.
“With the results of our first phase of metallurgy studies planned to be finalised shortly and then followed by the completion and planned release of the results of a scoping study, the project is progressing as planned.”
The project will also wait upon the clearance of a cultural heritage application, as well as dry-season studies from the company’s environmental consultants – all to be completed in the coming quarter.
Metallica’s wholly owned Cape Flattery project is adjacent to the world class operation owned by Mitsubishi.
Mitsubishi’s operation exports more than three million tonnes of high quality silica sand every year, and Metallica believes its own resource to be of a similar quality.
Metallica Minerals recently announced a significant 298 per cent increase to its resources at Cape Flattery, bringing the inferred resource to 38.3Mt and the indicated resource to 5.4 Mt.
Silica sand can be used in making glass products such as solar panels, smart phones, fibre-optics, TV flat screens and LED lights.
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