Kapunda copper project receives key environmental approval

The Kapunda copper project has received a key environmental approval from the South Australian Government.

Terramin (ASX:TZN) and its joint venture partners Environmental Copper Recovery (ECR) received approval for the next phase of in-ground work on the in-situ recovery. Thor Energy (ASX:THR) also holds a 30% equity in ECL.

This phase of work — Site Environmental Lixiviant Test (SELT) — will be a push/pull trial and will involve mixing a biodegradable solution with groundwater for placement within the orebody. The solution will reside in situ for a period of time while being sampled and monitored and then will be extracted and the site rehabilitated.

The test will provide a wide range of data on a number of key areas, including copper dissolution, hydrogeological parameters and rehabilitation data to inform the next major stage of field work.

Thor Energy managing director Nicole Galloway Warland commented on the environmental approval.

“This in-situ lixiviant “SELT” test is a critical step in the assessment of the ISR process, determining the copper solubility hence recovery, as well as hydrogeological parameters from the Kapunda copper mineralisation,” she said.

“We believe that the work by ECL will complement our longer-term focus on the green energy transition.

“The recent addition of copper to the critical minerals list by the Government of South Australia reiterates the importance of copper in driving the global transition towards cleaner and more sustainable energy.”