RE: Is It True That all Exploration Licenses in Sri Lanka Suspended?7 Jun 2026 11:51
This is the current statuses of Capitals licences:
Industrial Mining Licences (IMLs)
First Two Primary IMLs: Fully active. The temporary suspension issued by the GSMB in December 2022 (stemming from statutory shareholding and corporate structure disputes) was entirely overturned. Following a local corporate restructuring to satisfy Sri Lankan ownership intent, the GSMB fully reinstated these critical mining licences.
Pending/Additional IML Applications: Under active processing. To facilitate Stage 1 of production, Capital Metals has lodged subsequent IML applications covering 47 grids previously protected under its EL infrastructure to expand the initial mining area footprint.
Exploration Licences (ELs)
EL 168: Secured and transitioning. The geographical area covered under this exploration block is currently secured by active IML applications as parts of the project area pivot from exploration to extraction.
EL 199: Under retention status. The company is completing the required Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for this block before lodging formal IML conversion requests.
EL 430: Active and under renewal. This licence extends the project boundary 12 km to the north (encompassing the Oluvil Port area) and is being processed for routine regulatory extensions to accommodate expanded exploration drilling