15 January 2020
AMUR MINERALS CORPORATION
(AIM: AMC)
Base Line Environmental Assessment Complete
Amur Minerals Corporation ("Amur" or the "Company"), the nickel-copper sulphide exploration and development company focused on the far east of Russia, is pleased to announce that the Base Line Environmental Assessment ("BLEA") (a component of the Company's Permanent Conditions TEO ("TEO")) for its Kun-Manie nickel copper sulphide project is now complete and has been filed and approved by the necessary Russian Federation agencies.
Compiled by the Institute of Water and Environmental Problems Division ("IWEP") of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the Far East for the area in and around the exploration and mining licence, the study is based on information acquired by the Company, IWEP assessments including district, regional and federally published information and materials.
The BLEA component of the TEO defines the base line preproduction environmental setting and conditions. This is an integral part of the environmental quality management system and the related controls for monitoring the impacts of the planned mining operation at Kun-Manie. Specifically the impacts related to mining, sedimentation, air quality management, emergency procedures, water quality monitoring and management systems establish that there are no extraordinary considerations beyond those of a typical mining operation are required.
Robin Young, CEO of Amur Minerals Corporation, commented:
"Completion of the Base Line Environmental Assessment, that is required for inclusion in the TEO (Russian required feasibility study), confirms mining of our large scale Kun-Manie nickel copper sulphide deposit will not require any extraordinary programmes or procedures beyond those already planned by the Company to undertake the implementation of our operation. Typical monitoring and mitigation procedures can be implemented to ensure protection of the environment during construction and operations."
Highlights from the assessment:
· Air Quality: Analyses are reported at the nearest village of Bomnak (431 residents) located upwind and approximately 250 km to the west of the project site and are within acceptable limits.
· Surface Hydrological Network: The current hydrological quality of the streams and rivers located at, and adjacent, the planned mine site are characterised by naturally occurring factors on site and vary with the seasonal weather patterns. During the summer low water periods meet potable standards with low levels of copper and occasionally aluminum and zinc being present. Following the heavy rain season and spring snow melt runoff, elevated levels of nickel, manganese and iron are also present whilst maintaining potable water quality standards. Water protection and quality monitoring procedures have been successfully identified.
· Flora: Three geobotanical zones (mountain taiga, subalpine and mountain tundra) are present within the area. The three zones are typical of permafrost based regions. Exploration has not lead to any significant changes to the flora and monitoring of the site is recommended prior to and during mining operations.
· Fauna: The current survey of fish, avian and mammalian populations has been completed by a combination of field observation and the review of existing information. Results indicate that the distribution and types of the fauna present are typical of the East Siberian and Okhotsk-Kamkhatka groupings. A total of approximately 147 species have been identified in the area with fewer (115) being identified within the detailed exploration and mining licence area. No endangered species have been identified and it is recommended that a continual monitoring programme be implemented before and during operations.
· Exploration Activities: IWEP reports historical exploration activities have had a small and acceptable impact on the surface soils and vegetation with approximately 223.2 hectares (6.2 per cent of the mining licence) being altered due to exploration activities and road construction. Future disturbance typical of mining operations and the construction of supporting facilities will impact larger areas and a monitoring programme is recommended for future activities.
· Protected Territories: Both the office for Protection, Monitoring and Management of Wildlife and Habitat and the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resource Management (Rozprirodnadzor) confirm no protected natural territories are present as registered with the local, regional or federal authorities.
· Naturally Occurring Hazards: It is noted the presence of permafrost, steep terrain and narrow river valleys can present natural hazards to the planned operation and the project design should include consideration of these parameters. These potential hazards primarily include landslides and flooding / erosion during high periods of precipitation.
· Social / Economic Setting: Located in the largest administrative district (Zeya) of Amur Oblast with the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) to the north and Khabarovsk Krai to the east, this 87,500 km2 (24 per cent of Amur Oblast) hosts 14,649 residents with a population density of 0.23 people per km2. The three main industries include limited placer gold mining, timber harvesting and the operation of a hydroelectric dam.
Bomnak, the nearest village to the project site (approximately 440 residents) was founded in 1951 to support gold mining activities in the area. The population of the village has been in steady decline since 1990 with further decreases projected into 2040. Approximately 50 per cent of the residents are represented by the indigenous Evenki clans whose traditional activities include hunting and limited reindeer herding.
· Cultural Heritage Sites: Architectural, historical and monumental art cultural sites have not been identified at Kun-Manie or the surrounding area.
· Recommendations: Recommendations based on the IWEP evaluation provide the Company with a system of integrated environmental monitoring procedures prior to and for implementation during operations. The recommendations are typical of mining operations and no additional extraordinary activities have been identified.
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 until the release of this announcement.
Enquiries:
Company Amur Minerals Corp. |
Nomad and Broker S.P. Angel Corporate Finance LLP |
Public Relations Blytheweigh |
Robin Young CEO |
Richard Morrison Soltan Tagiev |
Megan Ray Tim Blythe |
+7(4212)755615 |
+44(0)20 3470 0470 |
+44 (0) 20 7138 3203 |
Notes to Editors
The information contained in this announcement has been reviewed and approved by the CEO of Amur, Mr. Robin Young. Mr. Young is a Geological Engineer (cum laude), a Professional Geologist licensed by the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, and is a Qualified Professional Geologist, as defined by the Toronto and Vancouver Stock Exchanges and a qualified person as defined by the AIM Rules for Companies. An employee of Amur for 15 years, previously Mr. Young was employed as an independent consultant with Fluor Engineers, Fluor Australia and Western Services Engineering, Inc. during which time his responsibilities included the independent compilation of resources and reserves in accordance with JORC standards. In addition, he was the lead engineer and participant of numerous studies and projects requiring the compilation of independent Bankable Studies utilised to finance small to large scale projects located worldwide. Mr. Young is responsible for the content of this announcement.
For further information, and Company updates see the Company website at www.amurminerals.com and twitter page @amur_minerals.
