BCI advances key environmental milestone
BCI Minerals is a step closer to commencing full-scale operations at its Mardie project in Western Australia.
The company has responded to queries from the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) regarding its groundwater monitoring and management plan (GMMP), paving the way for GMMP approval in the near-term.
GMMP approval would allow BCI to fill the remainder of its ponds, four to nine, and begin full-scale operations, with a target for first salt on ship by late 2026.
BCI provided an updated GMMP to the DCCEEW and the Western Australian Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) on January 15, with DWER granting approval on February 28.
The DCCEEW confirmed it had received the updated GMMP on March 24, which, according to BCI, satisfies the regulatory requirements to receive Federal approval.
GMMP approval is a secondary approval and follows on from Mardie receiving primary ministerial approval on September 9, 2024.
Since commencing Mardie operations in September 2024, BCI has been collecting real-time data from its groundwater monitoring bores, which have refined and confirmed GMMP methodologies.
Located 80km south of Karratha in the Pilbara region, Mardie’s operating life is expected to exceed 60 years and is supported by a syndicated facility agreement worth almost $1 billion.