Title:

APP-002452: Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Management Plan for the offshore mining activities on the proposed ML 220 of LK Mining, required for an Environmental Clearance Certificate

Publication Year:
2021
Abstract:

LKM proposes to mine the delineated resource area, making use of a small dredge pump vessel with onboard processing facility. Ongoing sampling, resource development, and some detail geophysical survey will cover selected target areas. The same methods were used during the exploration activities over EPL 5965. The Mining Licence application was filed by LKM with MME in October 2019. The techniques required to prospect for and mine diamond resources varies according to the location of the area/operation, i.e. shallow water, mid water or deep-water areas. The proposed ML covers an area of shallow (10-30 m deep) and mid water (30-40 m deep) environments with the shallower (beach zone) areas in the eastern and southern extend of the ML around the Mining Target 1, and the deeper mid water areas (up to 40 m depths) in the central northern basin along the western boundaries between targets 2 and 4. LKM proposes to mine the delineated resource area, making use of a small dredge pump vessel. Ongoing sampling, resource development, and some detail geophysical survey will cover selected target areas. The same methods were used during the exploration activities on EPL 5965. LKM plans to buy a supply vessel and convert it to a remote mining vessel. This will take about 7 months before resource verification starts which will take another 2 months. Mining will commence over Mining Area 1, which covers a total area of 228 Ha, 5,4% of the total licence area. The current mine plan is for 7 years, and through additional resource development, with the planned mining vessel, over Target Areas, 2, 3 and 4 the mine plan could be extended with at least another 3 years. Please refer to the Locality Map in Appendix B. Target areas 2, 3 and 4 each measure at 500 x 700m, and will be covered through a 100m grid sampling, total of 35 point samples per area. The target areas are shown in Appendix A. The total area covered over the three target areas covers a total area of 2 100 m2 (±20 m2 per sample). LKM proposes to follow up these results with a bulk sampling phase during which a total of 12 block samples (50 x 50m) will be taken over another total area of 30 000m2. In total, sampling and resource development will thus be conducted over a total area of 32 100 m2. This equates to less than 0.07% of the total EPL area of the existing licence area.

Item Type:
Report
Language:
en
Last date for commenting on this EIA: Wednesday, 28 July 2021

This EIA Report is/was listed currently or previously for Public Comment on the Department of Environmental Affairs ECC Portal http://eia.met.gov.na. You can search the eLibrary for all EIA reports for public comment here, track the progress of EIAs in Namibia using the EIA Tracker website on https://eia-tracker.org.na and you can learn more about the EIA process in Namibia here.