Africa-focused explorer Atlantic Lithium( ASX:A11) has received an environmental permit from Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its flagship Ewoyaa lithium project in Ghana, West Africa.
In a press release, Atlantic said the permit allows the project to proceed with its proposed activities, as detailed in the company’s mine and process environment impact statement (EIS).
The project is currently being advanced to production under an agreement with Piedmont Lithium (ASX:PLL,NASDAQ:PLL).
“The grant of the EPA permit marks a major step towards the construction of Ghana’s first lithium mine and follows a collaborative engagement process with the EPA and the residents of (the) project’s catchment area to ensure their alignment with the Company’s proposed activities at Ewoyaa,” said Neil Herbert, executive chairman of Atlantic Lithium.
Strong local support has also been shown for Ewoyaa, with both public hearings in February and June being well attended and answering queries of the project’s affected communities.
The company said the land it operates is “imperative to the long-term success of the project,” which is proven to produce a spodumene concentrate product suitable that can be converted for use in EV batteries.
Ewoyaa is also expected to become one of the top largest spodumene concentrate producers in the world, according to Atlantic Lithium, with production of 3.6 million tonnes of spodumene concentrate over a 12 year mine life.
A July 2024 resource estimate for Ewoyaa outlines total resources of 36.8 million tonnes at 1.24 percent lithium oxide.
Atlantic was granted a mining lease for the project in October 2023. Under this, the company was also granted exclusive rights to carry out mining and commercial production activities over the Mining Lease area for an initial 15-year period, renewable following Ghanaian legislation.
“We look forward to updating the market on the completion of the remaining steps ahead of us, which will see Ewoyaa achieve shovel-readiness.”
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Securities Disclosure: I, Gabrielle de la Cruz, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: Atlantic Lithium is a client of the Investing News Network. This article is not paid-for content.
Read More: Atlantic Lithium Receives Environmental Approval for Ewoyaa Lithium Project