EPA grants Atlantic Lithium an environmental permit for Ewoyaa project

Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted Atlantic Lithium an environmental permit for the company’s flagship project, the Ewoyaa Lithium Project.

The permit allows the lithium company to carry out proposed mining activities at its concession in the Central Region, as reported by ghextractives.com.

The Australian mining company, in its Mine and Process Environment Impact Statement (“EIS”), had previously stated that EPA approval was needed for activities at Ewoyaa.

The final EIS submission included feedback from the EPA on the draft EIS (submitted in May 2024) and addressed questions from members of the project's affected communities. Two public hearings were held by the EPA in February and June 2024 in the local affected communities of Ewoyaa and Krofu.

During the public hearings, the two local communities were said to have expressed support for the Ewoyaa Lithium Project.

Neil Herbert, Executive Chairman of Atlantic Lithium, stated, “The grant of the EPA permit marks a major step towards the construction of Ghana’s first lithium mine and follows a collaborative engagement process with the EPA and the residents of Project’s catchment area to ensure their alignment with the Company’s proposed activities at Ewoyaa."

“This approval is a testament to Atlantic Lithium’s commitment to acting as a responsible custodian of the land on which we operate, which we consider to be imperative to the long-term success of the Project. We are delighted to have full backing from the EPA and our local stakeholders. We would like to express our gratitude to the EPA for their direction throughout the permitting process, which has enabled the advancement of the Project at pace.

“We look forward to updating the market on the completion of the remaining steps ahead of us, which will see Ewoyaa achieve shovel-readiness,” he added.

Ewoyaa is poised to become Ghana’s inaugural lithium operation, following Atlantic's 15-year permit approval in October 2023.

Half of the lithium produced at Ewoyaa will be sent to a refinery owned by US-based Piedmont Lithium, Atlantic’s second-largest shareholder, which has agreed to fund most of the mine's construction.

Atlantic aims to produce a total of 3.6 million tonnes of spodumene concentrate, or 350,000 tonnes annually, over 12 years. This would position it as the world’s 10th-largest lithium project, according to the company.

MA

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