Besra Gold Inc. has announced that the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) Sarawak has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposed test/pilot gold mining and processing activities at its Jugan Project in the Bau Gold Field.
The EIA, together with the ancillary documentation relating to mine rehabilitation and details of the pilot plant specifications, will now be lodged with the Land & Survey Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Urban Development for approval.
Following the formal approval from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Urban Development, Besra will continue preliminary activities under the Early Commencement Works approval granted in December 2022, which includes sterilisation drilling to ensure that the proposed pilot plant infrastructure will not sterilise access to potential commercial mineralisation.
To ensure that the build and commissioning of the operation meet the December 2023 schedule, arrangements are being advanced for the engagement of civil engineering and fabrication contractors.
The pilot plant will have an initial nominal throughput capacity of 50 tpd, but will have the option to be expanded up to 400 tpd.
According to the company, the throughput range will ensure the commercial scalability of the processing results that will be incorporated into the final feasibility study for Jugan.
The EIA application was lodged on 22 December 2022 and was approved by the NREB within five months, despite that period encompassing several significant Muslim, Christian and Chinese religious holiday periods.
