Miner Magellan Metals to recommence the transport of lead carbonate concentrate through Fremantle Port in Western Australia
July 30, 2012
Miner Magellan Metals has been given the go-ahead to recommence the rail transport of lead carbonate concentrate through Fremantle Port in Western Australia.
WA Port and Environment Minister Bill Marmion says the company will be allowed to ship lead from its Wiluna mine for up to five years, subject to new a set of rigorous conditions.
Magellan will be expected to continue sampling for lead carbonate concentrate in soil, water and air along the transport route from Wiluna to Fremantle.
“Magellan has approval to transport lead carbonate concentrate from
its Wiluna mine site in sealed bulk bags inside steel shipping containers,” Marmion says.
New conditions being placed on the company
comprise the
strengthening of its
auditing, monitoring and reporting requirements.
Conditions also include the appointment of an independent third party to undertake compliance and assurance audits of a comprehensive environmental management program as well as a detailed evaluation of the sampling and analysis methods for all monitoring.
Despite the detection of lead in soil samples last year, no lead concentrate was found to have escaped into the environment from the double lined bags within Magellan’s locked shipping containers.
“Some of the lead exceedances (sic) to date were attributed to historical lead handling at various sites and not from Magellan’s recent operations,” Marmion says.
“Others were a result of naturally occurring lead levels in the environment.”
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) reviewed the project’s original conditions and interim conditions imposed on Magellan Metals in October last year.
“The EPA has recommended that the strict level of conditions presented in the Interim Implementation Conditions remain in place and I have made some changes to ensure they are more clearly enforceable, achievable and robust,” Marmion says.
“The onus is now on Magellan Metals to demonstrate that they can meet these stringent conditions and rebuild community confidence and trust.”
Magellan ceased operations, including transportation of lead concentrate in April 2011.
EPA recommended in October 2011 that the existing conditions should remain as well as further measures to ensure conditions are clearly enforceable and achievable.