focusIR May 2024 Investor Webinar: Blue Whale, Kavango, Taseko Mines & CQS Natural Resources. Catch up with the webinar here.
(part 2)
NRW issued its consent yesterday, 21 September, and Alba’s geologists were therefore able to collect the sediment samples from the estuary yesterday. As a result, it is expected that Alba’s report will be submitted to NRW in the next week or so, with a supplemental appendix being submitted once the estuary samples have been assayed at the ALS Laboratories (which normally involves a turn-around time of a few weeks). Given the time this process has taken to date, NRW has indicated to Alba that it will carry out its HRA as quickly as possible in order to proceed swiftly to a determination of Alba’s application.
Although Alba understands NRW’s concern as regards the potential impact of the discharge of water from any former mine into a watercourse, Alba has taken great care, and taken the best available advice, to devise a robust dewatering scheme and to ensure that any water discharged into the watercourse post-treatment in the manner proposed will not have a detrimental effect on the environment. Indeed, Alba’s and NRW’s concerns are completely aligned in that regard. It should also be noted that:
(1) The flooded lower workings are estimated to hold 800m³ of water, or about 1/3 of the volume of an Olympic-size swimming pool. With the water to be pumped at a flow rate of up to 4.2m³/hr (100m³/day), it is estimated that the lower workings would be dewatered within just eight days.
(2) Discharge from the drainage adit is not currently treated and has never been treated since mine abandonment in 1998. By contrast, Alba’s dewatering scheme involves:
· Water pumped out of the lower workings being first passed through two Siltbuster HB10 settlement tanks, operating in parallel and each with a capacity of 10m3/hr, with no settling reagents to be used.
· The electrical conductivity (EC) of the water being manually monitored on a daily basis (in Phase 1) and on a monthly basis (in Phase 2).
· Collected settled solids being assayed to determine if any gold or deleterious elements are present.
(3) A substantial amount of data has been compiled by Alba to date to support its application, including the following:
· 12 rounds of water sampling have been undertaken over the course of the best part of a year. Samples were taken from five sampling points, upstream of the mine, downstream of the mine and from the current discharge itself.
· The flooded Llechfraith Shaft has also been sampled and profiled. The water column in the shaft was profiled by lowering a Van Essen CTD diver, that was set to record water depth, temperature, and electro-conductivity every second. In addition, a profile was made of water temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and redox potential (ORP – which measures whether the water is reducing or aerobic), using an in-situ Aqua Troll 600.
(Continued..part 3)
As its quiet at the moment.The report below shows some of what Alba has had to go through before the dewatering permit was rejected because of the bats and otters. This just shows how complicated a process it has been, and also I think shows how well Alba have done so well.
Its been a long drawn out process, but when its all over with, it will be all stations go.
With the HRA future applications should be easier.
Dewatering Permits Report
In January 2021 Alba submitted an application to Natural Resources Wales (“NRW”) for a permit to dewater the flooded Llechfraith Shaft and discharge the treated water into the neighbouring stream. Alba’s ecological and environmental team has been led by Alba’s ecological consultants ENVSYS and Alba’s consulting geochemical engineer Dr Matthew Dey CEng MIMMM of Geochemical Engineering Solutions Ltd, UK, with support from Mr Alistair Black, Principal Hydrogeologist & Director, Groundwater Science Ltd.
Originally, Alba was informed that only a Discharge Permit was required. Then, in late May 2021 NRW informed Alba that a Transfer (or Abstraction) Licence would also be required. In June 2021 NRW indicated to Alba that a decision would be made within a few weeks. However, on 1 July 2021 NRW issued a formal notification (known as a Schedule 5 notification) seeking further information in relation to the proposed scheme. Alba provided the requested information on 8 July.
More recently, however, NRW has informed Alba for the first time that it intended to undertake a Habitat Regulations Assessment (“HRA”) and requested that Alba submit a detailed report to assist it in that assessment. This was discussed in a meeting in August between NRW and Alba.
Since then, Alba’s environmental and ecological team has been compiling a detailed report to inform the NRW’s HRA, the overall objective of which is to assist NRW in its assessment of any potential impacts of the dewatering exercise on the integrity of the Special Areas of Conservation (“SACs”) situated closest to the mine. Those SACs are the Lleyn Peninsula and the Sarnau SAC, which commences 1.14km to the south of the Llechfraith adit, and the Meirionnydd Oakwood and Bat Sites SAC, which commences 1.4km to the east of the mine. As part of this exercise, Alba’s report reviews the locations of these sites and their qualifying features in relation to the mine, identifies any apparent effect pathways and then gives consideration to the likely significance of any potential effects identified on both SACs.
While Alba’s report has been largely completed, its final sign-off has been delayed by NRW’s request that further sediment samples are taken at a location in the estuary approximately 1 km downstream of the mine, which has necessitated obtaining the relevant landowner’s (and indeed NRW’s) formal consent. NRW issued its consent yesterday, 21 September, and Alba’s geologists were therefore able to collect the sediment samples from the estuary yesterday. (continu
Just had another e mail from my contact a NRW..I asked him if he could keep me updated, but would understand if he could not....
Just one line on this e mail..
"I can inform you that I’ve sent my response to the draft HRA document to Alba Minerals today"
That was it..
Very sorry for the delay with my follow up post.
Nookie..I am a share holder.
For those new to the site, Alba's permit was refused because of the Bats and Otter, not because of anything to do with the quality of the discharged water, that has been passed as good.
To get the permit, Alba needs to get a European Protected Species License, and for that they need a HRA(Habitat Regulations Assessment ) When the HRA is good, they get the European Protected Species License, then at last the dewatering permit. the e mail below from NRW they refer to the HRA (Habitat Regulations Assessment )
I e mailed NRW on the 5th April with my question below, after about five more emails back and forth I eventually got this answer. At least its something.
My question...
Hello, I hope you can help me.
On 21st March 2022 Alba minerals said they had submitted a report for their dewatering application ( see below for details).
Can you give me any idea as to when this decision will be made.
Kind Regards
NRW reply yesterday.
"Apologies for the delay in responding. I’m looking at the submitted draft HRA document from Alba Minerals. I assume that this is the document you’re referring to. Although, I can’t give a date, I hope to get something back to them within the next week. I hope this answers your question."
I am still 100% positive that the licence will come, and Alba will fly after we get it.
I was thinking we might have had the permit by now. I guess NRW have not fast tracked the application as Alba was hoping....or maybe they have, who knows. Thinking about it, we do need to be issued the European Protected Species License before we get the dewatering licence, so I guess it all just takes time. I do know that NRW are still "working from home" .
I am still resolute in my conviction that the permit will be issued and am expecting the RNS to drop any day now, and that will be a long awaited great day. They do say all good things are worth waiting for, and boy have we waited.
elir71..I did say "but they wont be doing any of that that RIGHT now" The "RIGHT now" being the important part. I think as they know the permit drop imminently, they will not be starting anything until they get it. Of course to do as you suggested driving trial adits may have been a good idea, I am sure they have reasons why they have not done this yet. I don't know. I do think Alba know exactly what they are doing for whatever reasons. I think they will have the Q and A session right after the permit is granted, maybe that is a question you could put to them.
Yes indeed, Alba have other very good targets out of the wet zone, and they can also get into the wetzone without dewatering but they wont be doing any of that that right now.
Alba have exhausted the exploration phase for now, no more to do now.
Alba main focus without any doubt, has always been dewater the shaft, then go into development of the resource in the shaft, that leads into commercial production. This I assume, they believe is by far the quickest, most cost effective way of becoming a commercial gold mining company. Alba will not start work on development of any other of the targets until they complete their primary target. Alba will get the permit anytime soon, just waiting for the green light, then all systems go. Dewatering 4-6 weeks...then into development. Share price should have very big rise on permit news.
As pointed out, the permit is not even a formal appeal its a "further consideration " NRW had promised to fast track Alba's application in the past so I am expecting the permit to be granted any day now, certainly within the next two weeks maximum. That is my take on things right now, and its all very positive in my eyes.
@Olly 74 "I believe there is going to be one hell of a movement when the dewatering licence is eventually permitted by NRW" I agree with you on that statement Olly.
The granting of the license takes away that "uncertainty" that the investors and the market dislikes..Alba have everything primed and ready to go once we get the green light. The certainty is that the waiting game is almost over.
Indeed a rising price is coming due to the fact that the water permit will be granted imminently.
The granting of the permit will/should undoubtedly produce a HUGE upturn to the share price, its what we have been waiting for what seems like an eternity. It can not be overstated how important this permit is to Alba, its sets the tone for all future permit applications to come. My opinion, as regulars on here will know, is that its a done deal. The permit will be granted, no doubt about it. Waiting for the permit is what has been holding Alba back on their primary exploration target. The uncertainty of the permit application is what has been holding back the share price, lets be honest no permit and Albas future would be looking very bleak as far as Welsh Gold goes.
I am now happier than have ever been as an Alba share holder. Just waiting for the good news to come, knowing it wont be long, then the show can begin!!
Great RNS, I am happy with the de watering news, no surprises, NRW wanted more data, they have got it now, so just waiting for the NRW to do the admin, and the permit will be granted. I fully expect NRW to fast track the process, they have said they will do that previously, so the long wait is nearly over. When the permit drops, the share price will be flying high.
Streaky1,
Yes I agree its a good sign, Alba answering e mails in good time. Also their twitter has been very active. I can not see them having a Q&A before the results of wastepit assays and news on dewatering permit are in, at least one of these. As you say we can get on with de watering in April when the bats are happy so lets have that permit anytime before April, and we are good to go. Happy days ahead for sure.
I had asked Alba a question that they could not answer right now due to AIM listing rules.
They did tell me they are planning a shareholder Q&A soon.
Just a matter of time until things take off, just a waiting game right now. Not too long now I would hope. Maybe the shareholder Q&A will be after a long awaited RNS drops.
To be clear, the quote from ALBA e mail is
"Quote from an e mail I received from ALBA today:
"On your question about the dewatering process, as we stated in our RNS of 9 December: “…the Company continues to progress its work on a set of detailed submissions seeking a further consideration by the authorities of the Company's dewatering application.” So the process engaged in involves a reconsideration by the regulator of its decision rather than an appeal as such." end of quote.
I have some new information on the de watering permit application from ALBA. To me this dose not really agree with the information I received from NRW.
I now do think that the de watering permit can be granted at anytime, with no need for an appeal, as I had thought initially.
Just waiting patiently for the RNS with the good news, knowing it could come anytime.
Quote from an e mail I received from ALBA today:
"On your question about the dewatering process, as we stated in our RNS of 9 December: “…the Company continues to progress its work on a set of detailed submissions seeking a further consideration by the authorities of the Company's dewatering application.” So the process engaged in involves a reconsideration by the regulator of its decision rather than an appeal as such.