NRE - Application for an Amendment to the Environmental Certificate (ECC) for the Lofdal Mining Project

10 November 2023 | Client: Namibia Rare Earths (Pty) Ltd (NRE)

Namibia Rare Earths (Pty) Ltd (NRE) a subsidiary of Namibia Critical Metals Incorporated (NMI), is a Canadian company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSXV:NMI OTC:NMREF) Venture Exchange with a diverse project portfolio in Namibia. NRE holds Mining Licence (ML) 200 on Farm Lofdal which falls within the //Huab and Doro !nawas Conservancy Areas in the Kunene Region of Namibia. In 2016, SLR Environmental Consulting [Namibia] (Pty) Ltd (SLR) undertook three Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) in relation to the Lofdal Rare Earths Mining Project, namely:

EIA for the construction and operation of the powerline for the Project – NamPower;

  • EIA for the water pipeline for the Project; and
  • EIA for the Lofdal Mining Project.

Following the EIA process and review NRE was granted an Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) in December 2017 by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) to support the ML application. The ECC was renewed in May 2021 valid for a period of three (3) years. A corresponding Mining Licence 200 (ML200) was issued by the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) in May 2021. Since the granting of the ECC for the Lofdal Project, subsequent test work undertaken by NRE has indicated that the resource of the mine is significantly larger than which is outlined in the original 2016 EIA. It follows that the ECC for the Lofdal Project needs to be amended to cater for a larger mining operation and additional beneficiation steps. It must be noted that only exploration-related work and pilot-scale mining currently takes place on site and as such, no infrastructure relating to the Lofdal Mining Project has been established.

SLR has been appointed by NRE to manage the ECC amendment processes.

Contact

Stephanie Strauss

Email: lofdalproject@slrconsulting.com

Telephone: +264 61 231 287

Status

Notice is hereby given in terms of the Environmental Management Act, 7 of 2007 and Regulation 21 of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations (January 2012) that Namibia Rare Earths (Pty) Ltd (NRE) a subsidiary of Namibia Critical Metals Incorporated (NMI, is undertaking an amendment of the Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) for the Lofdal Mining Project.

To ensure that you are identified as an Interested and Affected Party (I&AP), please submit your name, contact details, and declaration of interest in the Lofdal Mining Project to the SLR address provided above. More details regarding the Lofdal Mining Project are available in a background information document (BID).

To ensure that your issues and/or comments are included in the Scoping Report, these should be provided to SLR in writing to the addresses provided above by 17 November 2023.

If you register and supply your contact details as an I&AP for this Project, you will be included in the SLR I&AP database. It is assumed that as an I&AP for this Project, you authorise SLR to retain and use your Personal Information as part of a contact database for this and/or other Social and Environmental Impact Assessments (ESIA) and that you confirm your acceptance for SLR to contact you regarding this and/or other ESIA processes. SLR will not process your Personal Information, other than as permitted or required by ESIA processes, or as required by law or public policy. SLR will use reasonable, appropriate security safeguards in order to protect Personal Information and to reasonably prevent any damage to, loss of, or unauthorised access or disclosure of Personal Information, other than as required for ESIA processes or as required by any Law or public policy. You may request for your Personal Information to be deleted from the I&AP database at any time by contacting SLR.


Background Information Document