Empire Metals Limited Environmental Studies to Commence at Pitfield

RNS Number : 4908F

Empire Metals Limited

25 September 2024

 

 

Empire Metals Limited / LON: EEE / Sector: Natural Resources

 

25 September 2024

Empire Metals Limited

('Empire' or the 'Company')

 

Environmental Studies to Commence at Pitfield

 

Empire Metals Limited (LON: EEE), the AIM-quoted resource exploration and development company, is pleased to announce the commencement of environmental impact assessment studies for the Pitfield Project in Western Australia ('Pitfield' or the 'Project'). These studies are an important input into both project development, permitting planning and project de-risking as the Company moves through the development and approvals process ahead of commercialisation.

 

Highlights

 

·    The environmental impact assessment process has commenced for Pitfield, with ecology (fauna and flora) and baseline dust monitoring being the first of several studies to be initiated.

 

·    The studies will help inform the project team during the process design phase and provide important background information as the Company moves through the various development and approvals phases for the Project.

 

·    The consultants engaged to conduct these studies are highly respected industry experts who have an in-depth knowledge of environmental policy and legislation.

 

·    Early engagement with the various stakeholders at Pitfield should maintain already positive relationships that the Company holds with the local community and stakeholders, with whom Empire continues to actively engage with on a frequent and regular basis.

 

Shaun Bunn, Managing Director, said: "I am pleased to announce the commencement of our environmental studies with the initial focus on ecology and dust monitoring.  Further studies are planned across a wide range of important topics, with particular focus on local stakeholders and communities. These studies will form part of an overall Environmental Impact Assessment, a critical component of the approval process for the commercial development of the Project. We have the opportunity at Pitfield to deliver a world-class asset from both an economic and environmental perspective, these early studies will help to deliver the optimum route for development for all stakeholders.

 

"At Empire Metals, we recognize the value of the land in which we operate and we respect the significance of these values to traditional owners, landowners and our communities. We are committed to conserving and improving these values through diligent environmental management and innovative project design. Empire is actively consulting with local community members and stakeholders and remains committed to making a positive social and economic contributions to the communities in which we operate."

 

Environmental Studies and Community Engagement

Environmental studies and community and stakeholder engagement is managed by Empire's Environmental Manager, Ms Carrie Pritchard (B.Sc. (NRM) (Hons)). Carrie has over 20 years' experience in the mining/processing industry, working on project development and approvals, environmental impact assessment, stakeholder consultation, operations environmental management, mine closure and reclamation. She has managed projects through feasibility, environmental impact assessment, construction and commissioning, including establishing compliance and environmental management systems. Carrie has extensive working experience with the Western Australian mining approvals processes and local and State Government agencies.

 

The Pitfield landscape has been extensively cleared for agriculture.  Environmental studies will initially focus on understanding the conservation value of patches of vegetation across the project.  Agriculture is generally broadscale grain production with livestock grazing.

 

The Project is located near Three Springs, a small but vibrant Mid-West community (Figure 1).

 

Figure 1: Three Springs town

Three Springs is well serviced by local businesses including a supermarket/newsagency/liquor store, chemist, butcher, post office, hotel, motel and restaurant, cafe, hardware, roadhouse, bank, agricultural machinery dealership, farm supplies as well as a variety of trades and contractors.

 

Broadacre farming is the primary industry of the Shire, with a variety of crops (wheat, canola, lupins, oats etc) and stock (sheep and cattle) produced.

 

Mining also contributes strongly to the community, with the largest talc mine in the Southern Hemisphere situated just 10km east of Three Springs and employing many local residents (Figure 2).

Figure 2.   Three Springs Talc Mine

 

Empire has already secured exploration access agreements with many of the local landowners across the Pitfield area, covering an area exceeding 18,000 hectares.

 

Ecological studies

Botanica Consulting ('Botanica') has been engaged to undertake a reconnaissance Flora and Basic Fauna survey for the Thomas and Cosgrove prospects. Field-based studies are being undertaken during September 2024.  Due to the extensive agriculture across the survey area, only pockets of remnant vegetation require survey. The survey(s) will be conducted in accordance with the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority's Statement of Environmental Principles, Factors and Objectives and Technical Guidance. These studies will provide the Company's project team with an initial understanding of conservation values across the exploration targets and will inform options and project design studies over the Pitfield project development and planning phase.

 

Potential impacts to sensitive receptors from conceptual mining and project infrastructure will be identified and inform options studies and project design.

 

Botanica is a well-respected Environmental Consultancy based in Western Australia with strong technical expertise, combined with in-depth knowledge of policy and legislation. The consultancy has been established for over 25 years. Jim and Andrea Williams (Directors) head the team with over 40 years combined experience. Mr. Williams is a current committee member of the Environmental Consultants Association of Western Australia.

 

 

Figure 3: Inspecting remnant vegetation at the Pitfield Project

Figure 4: Inspecting drill site locations at the Pitfield Project

 

Air quality studies

Environmental Technologies and Analytics ('ETA') have been engaged to develop a baseline Dust Monitoring Plan and to support the Company in the establishment and management of a dust monitoring network, with the primary objective of establishing baseline dust levels prior to commencement of Project construction and operations.

 

The dust monitoring program will define a baseline of concentrations before the commencement of construction and operations. This information is critical to determining any potential changes or impacts resulting from the Project so that dust mitigation methods can be optimized and effective. The emphasis of the baseline dust monitoring program will be to characterise the baseline dust levels in the Three Springs townsite, specifically for background dust levels associated with natural sources in the region; and the contribution of other existing anthropogenic sources.

 

ETA are a highly respected team of atmospheric scientists and air quality specialists who provide technical experience in all aspects of atmospheric science, air quality, odour and dust assessment and management, including strategic and technical abatement advice, and innovative solutions. ETA are Certified Air Quality Professionals (CAQP) with the Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand (CASANZ). The ETA team members each bring over 20 years of individual experience, across a wide variety of industrial sectors including mining and resources, oil and gas, chemical manufacturing, energy and waste both locally and globally.

 

Community consultation

Empire Metals are actively consulting with local community members and stakeholders through proactive engagement. Recently, the Empire team presented the Pitfield Project to the Three Springs Shire Councillors. This was followed by an open discussion of the journey that we have ahead of us. The Empire team have also attended recent community events, including the Mingenew Midwest Expo and Three Springs Golf Club community day.

Figure 5: Presentation to the Three Springs Shire Councillors

 

The Pitfield Project

Located within the Mid-West region of Western Australia, near the northern wheatbelt town of Three Springs, Pitfield lies 313km north of Perth and 156km south of Geraldton, the Mid West region's capital and major port. Western Australia is ranked as one of the top mining jurisdictions in the world

 

according to the Fraser Institute's Investment Attractiveness Index published in 2023, and has mining-friendly policies, stable government, transparency, and advanced technology expertise. Pitfield has existing connections to port (both road & rail), HV power substations, and is nearby to natural gas pipelines as well as a green energy hydrogen fuel hub, which is under planning and development (refer Figure 6).

 

Figure 6. Pitfield Project Location showing the Mid-West Region Infrastructure and Services.

Since commencing its maiden drill campaign in March 2023, the Company has completed a total of 107 drillholes for 17,003m (including seven diamond core holes for 2,025m), of which 67 RC drillholes and six diamond core drillholes were drilled within the Cosgrove and Thomas prospects (Figure 7). The drilling shows a high-grade (>5% TiO₂), more than 1km wide central core running on a north-south trend through both mineral prospects, which could join between the two prospects thereby representing a potential total strike length of more than 20km. Significantly, the RC drillhole results clearly indicate elevated TiO₂ grades are present within the top 40m (RNS: 15 May 2024).

Figure 7.  Grey-scale magnetics map overlain by airborne gravity survey results with the location of RC and Diamond Core drillholes and the Cosgrove and Thomas Exploration Target.

 

Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure

Certain information contained in this announcement would have been deemed inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, as incorporated into UK law by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, until the release of this announcement.

 

**ENDS**

 

For further information please visit www.empiremetals.com  or contact:

Empire Metals Ltd Shaun Bunn / Greg Kuenzel / Arabella Burwell	Tel: [phone]
S. P. Angel Corporate Finance LLP (Nomad & Broker) Ewan Leggat / Adam Cowl	Tel: [phone]
Shard Capital Partners LLP (Joint Broker) Damon Heath	Tel: [phone]
St Brides Partners Ltd (Financial PR)                                          Susie Geliher / Charlotte Page	Tel: [phone]

 

About Empire Metals Limited

Empire Metals is an AIM-listed exploration and resource development company (LON: EEE) with a primary focus on developing Pitfield, an emerging giant titanium project in Western Australia.

 

Exploration activity at Pitfield has confirmed the discovery of a new giant mineralised system extending over 40km by 8km by 5km deep. Drilling campaigns have confirmed high-grade TiO₂ mineralised zones across thick bedded intervals to a vertical depth of ~350m, confirming Pitfield as a world class, district-scale titanium mineral system.

 

Empire is now accelerating the economic development of Pitfield, with the objective of becoming a leading producer of high value titanium dioxide products.

 

The Company also has two further exploration projects in Australia; the Eclipse Project and the Walton Project in Western Australia, in addition to three precious metals projects located in a historically high-grade gold producing region of Austria.

 

 

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