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I do wonder what the evaluation period is for? If you confirm it fits the requirements already, what would yuo not have already looked at!? If it fit conformity then it should fulfill evaluation as any requirement for evaluation should be written into the conformity. I suspect it is to follow up on anything arising from the public, which again we hopefully have mitigated a lot.
SAVs only mistake was to take the 1st answered questions as given (i.e. not expecting a second roudn of questions) and sang like a canary about 20 days for APA to respond. Firstly, it was just hitting Xmas and pandemic went up a notch in Portugal so no way were they turnign that around in 20 days......then they asked more questions. SAV is not in control of this, to suggest otherwise is folly. Then to answer questions they proabbly had to do new studies or change the location of the processing plant for example, you can't fire a quick email back with the answers. And I would rather SAV pour over each question and answer it within an inch of its life to ensure to is accepted than a 'nay we'll sort that, nowt to worry about' flippant response. After they have submitted then the Portuguese in full lockdown ain't going to turn it around in 20 days, on top of this there are many things going on in the shadows in Portugal and EU regards the grand battery plan that this is all an intergral part of.
So yeah i'm ****sssed it has taken this long but not a SAV time issue that can be pinned on them. This EIA conformity is an enormous step.....at one time we didn't even need to do one, 3 years later and a load of work later we are here.....all because of ESG requirements changing. If we get the DIA in August we are home anmd dry, regardless of the days required for Environmental Title. Get past the public and this is a home run, Portugal needs it to be and I hope the hard work in getting it 'public friendly' has been done up front by APA and SAV.
So we get the DIA in August and then according to the 26 November RNS it is 60 working days from that until the final Environmental Title is awarded. 60 working days is 12 elapsed weeks or near enough 3 months. So that takes us to November, assuming there are no delays (ha ha).
Naverone, Yes not exactly within timescales quoted but the next stage approval is the biggy.
"the second stage, expected to take 60 working days, and subject to receipt of approval from the APA, will result in the Project receiving its Environmental Title"
and from the latest RNS
"Savannah is expecting to receive the DIA during August 2021"
It wasn't bang on - it should have been 20 days after the November RNS but was in fact 140 days. Actually, in SAV-time I suppose that was bang on. Good news though.
Good job you rattled his cage this last night Tony, or DA might have forgotten about it? Ho ho!
"Bang on the date, 140 days was the timeline - great work Mr Archer!"
Excuse my stupidity, but can you please explain how this was 'bang on'.
Bang on the date, 140 days was the timeline - great work Mr Archer!
EUs Covid recovery fund has not yet been passed and is currently held up in German courts. Spain has said they are going to crack on, presumably on the basis that they believe a work round will deliver as it always has previously. Historical odds stack in their favour. Portuguese Gov gives lots of encouraging verbal support but so far has not seemed to confirm their conviction with firm positive action. That really needs to change.
At what point do we see tangible impacts of the EU’s Green Deal and COVID recovery funding? There is such an incentive already to streamline and get on with member states’ natural resource projects, is it really willing to be left behind and for others such as the US and Asia (China a given off) to get a massive head start with members continually slowing things down...
As I understand we're waiting for Portuguese Government to update the applicable laws/legislation prior to sign off as it wouldn't make sense to give DoC based on soon to be out of date information. It would be a reasonable assumption that once all is in place they come straight out the blocks with SAV as the new benchmark.
"In March 2019, secretary of state for energy João Galamba guaranteed that he was giving the DGEG ‘indications’ to complete the text of the long-awaited new law to be published in government newspaper Diário de República.
Fifteen months on and nothing has changed" Article from June 2020 so we're now 25 months on, can't find anything to suggest it's been complete elsewhere but may be wrong.
2 requests for additional information set us back. You don't fire an email back with answers, you have to ingage the EIA team and perhaps even do some extra studies etc. all whilst in the middle of a lockdown pandemic. Both sets of questions as per the Reddit post have been answered and the ball is back in APA's court. We can't control how long they dither for, but know they are lining up when heck of an EV related industry......we are a very big piece in that jigsaw, so I presume they want the EIA all singing and dancing so it passes public and EU Paymaster's scrutiny. They need to look like they know what they are doing at APA and can be trusted with EU's money to build out mines to supply the Eu chain.
Totally agree, at least once all local/central government approval is achieved SAV will be in more control on timelines. Just look at how quickly the resource updates and scope study was done when we controlled them.
We need a “Declaration of Conformity” from APA before going to public consultation. The former was expected in 29 days in November but hasn’t yet happened. A tad disappointing!
I had understood that the company had replied comprehensively to APAs request for additional info a few weeks ago now and that the ball is in their court. Is it now subject to political dithering? SAV maybe an important piece in the jigsaw but it certainly isn’t in charge of its diary.
Agreed, must be a lot of heel dragging down there at the moment
Was it not known earlier this year that a second request for additional info was also made, the very comprehensive Reddit page created late March states the following;
In May 2020, Savannah submitted highly comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Mine Plan reports on the proposed development to Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente, (APA), the Portuguese environmental regulator. APA has since made two requests for further information, Savannah is currently preparing the second supplementary response, and remains confident that the “Declaration of Environmental Impact” will be awarded by APA later in 2021.
——
Not sure what this means to timetable and would be nice to get an official update.
Agreed, the 26 Nov RNS stated " Following submission of the additional information, we expect to receive a "declaration of the conformity" of the EIA in the next 20 workings days". We have not had any confirmation that this has been received yet.
And have still to reach first base ie the Notice of Conformity which is when the clock starts.
The RNS gave the EIA timetable (26th of November 2020). Today we have reached the 140 days!
"Pre-Phase review timetable, guided to be 80 working days in total"
"the second stage, expected to take 60 working days, and subject to receipt of approval from the APA, will result in the Project receiving its Environmental Title"