Sibanye-Stillwater updates on environmental permits for lithium project
Johannesburg – Sibanye-Stillwater reports that the anticipated environmental permit for the Keliber lithium project’s Rapasaari mine and Päiväneva concentrator was received from the Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland (AVI) on 28 December 2022.
Separate permit applications for the Rapasaari mine and Päiväneva concentrator filed on 30 June 2021 were subsequently combined into one permit by the AVI.
The proposed mining and processing activities authorised by the AVI permit are located in the municipalities of Kaustinen, Kokkola and Kronoby, Finland. The Rapasaari mine operations will comprise the extraction of ore and waste rock, disposal of the waste rock, and discharge of water from the area.
The concentrator operations in Päiväneva include mineral processing, tailings and process water treatment, water intake from the river Köyhäjoki and responsible discharge of overflow to the river.
The permit decision from the AVI include a water management permit for the concentrator and the right to start operations despite the existence of any appeals.
Since the permit decision from the AVI was published, Keliber has carefully assessed the 144 permit conditions it contains and on Friday 3 February 2023, made a submission to the Vaasa Administrative Court for changes to and/or clarification to six of the permit conditions.
“We are pleased to have received this key environmental permit soon after being granted approval for the Keliber lithium refinery in Kokkola, which is preparing for the construction phase to start within the following weeks. Our aim is to advance the project within schedule while ensuring our environmental impact is as low as possible while we follow the required processes to ensure all permitting conditions are reasonable, unambiguous and will be practical to implement and adhere to”, says Neal Froneman, CEO of Sibanye-Stillwater.
Sibanye-Stillwater is a multinational mining and metals processing Group with a diverse portfolio of mining and processing operations and projects and investments across five continents.
The Group is also one of the foremost global PGM auto catalytic recyclers and has interests in leading mine tailings retreatment operations.
Sibanye-Stillwater has established itself as one of the world’s largest primary producers of platinum, palladium, and rhodium and is also a top tier gold producer. It produces other PGMs, such as iridium and ruthenium, along with chrome, copper and nickel as by-products.
The Group has recently begun to build and diversify its asset portfolio into battery metals mining and processing and is increasing its presence in the circular economy by growing and diversifying its recycling and tailings reprocessing operations globally.
Keliber is an advanced lithium project, located in Kaustinen and Kokkola, Finland. Keliber aims to be the first European producer of battery-grade lithium hydroxide from its own mined ore reserves.
Keliber is a subsidiary of Sibanye-Stillwater, a multinational mining and metals processing Group, with Finnish Minerals Group as the second largest shareholder, a state-owned company developing the value chain of lithium-ion batteries.
