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Tel: + 353-1-6782000 Fax: + 353-1-6609627 Email: [email protected] 3075 1343 3846 2093 www.mineralsireland.ie1111 3332 2782 1628 1607 481 2781 3866 3434 767 1110 3868 (Ref: MP16 03/11)08 3792 2686 2702 2522 3920 3648 3914 3129 3266 1632 3913 1377 1378 890 3866 600 3432 28243793 2685 2563 2861 1624 3854 3777 3507 2561 2748 2747 3649 2 2860 3147 3547 2823 3475 2560 3610 3291 3861 3273 1640 3795 3794 541 2671R 2859 2320 3853 3799 3477 2567 3283 1641 3427 2822 2533 25683115 2476 2516 2426 2670 3302 2321 3322 3796 3800 3476 3684 3286 3670 626 3980 2219 608 3285 2474 2627 2512 2514 3138 2564 627 2323 2217 2513 3797 3907 607 2322 2518 3727 3160 3662 3565 3426 2429 2669 1646 3158 3675 3247 2430 3677 3878 605 2623 2830 2625 3263 2432 3678 3418 2622 1650 3674 3417 2624 30093438 2834 2621 3104 3668 M37 2831 2433 3239 M23 3458 3425 1654 1652 2218 3159 3616 3241 2409 2410 3439 2852 1653 3105 3161 3736 3355R 3542 3533 2832 2411 3156 3667 2407 3953 3441 3440 3403 3402 754 586R 3688 32423353 3345 3931 2639 Table of Contents Page Ground Status and Application Procedure 1 Available Ground 1 Ground Unavailable 3 Application Procedures 3 Statement of Interest 4 Prospecting Licence competition 5 Procedures 5 Competition Areas 5 State Mining and Prospecting Facilities 6 State Mining Facilities 6 Prospecting Licences Held 7 Prospecting Licences Offered and Advertised 20 Ireland: Exploration & Mining News 21 Appendices 26 Publicly Available Prospecting Licence Area Data 27 Addresses of Companies holding State Facilities 28 Map (in back pocket) All information is also available on www.mineralsireland.ie GROUND STATUS AND APPLICATION PROCEDURE This booklet contains listed details of all current prospecting and mining facilities. Details include the names of the licensees, the geographical location (by reference to the relevant Ordnance Survey 6”, or 1:10,560, maps) and, with reference to prospecting licences, the details of the minerals for which they have been issued. The accompanying coloured map also indicates the locations of these prospecting licences and mining facilities, as well as displaying ground that is available for application, either by competition (closing date 30th June 2011) or at any time. Available Ground Ground that is available for exploration under a Prospecting Licence (PL) is represented on the accompanying map as follows: • Ground Categories • Open ground: Ground which has not been subdivided into licence areas and which is available for application at any time is unnumbered, and coloured pale green. • Open areas: Established licence areas available for application at any time are identified by their number and are coloured dark green or pale green. Those areas coloured pale green attract exploration incentives (see Incentive Ground below). • Held areas: Current prospecting licences (pink) and recently offered licences (brown) are restricted to certain minerals (p.7-20). Such ground is available for application for prospecting for other minerals. • Competition areas: Areas that have been recently surrendered, or that have been offered and declined, are indicated by their number and a yellow colour. Applications received by 30th June 2011, will be considered after that date, without any regard to time priority. • Prospecting Licence Terms A Prospecting Licence typically covers an area of 35 sq. km. Prospecting Licences are issued for a period of six years (maximum), for specified minerals, and can be renewed. A minimum expenditure per licence is required, and varies with the age of the licence (see table). A minimum work programme is also required, details of which are agreed with the licensee. Progressively increased work and expenditure commitments are required on renewal. Work reports are required every two years, and are held confidential for six years thereafter, or until expiry or surrender of the licence. Third party insurance, indemnifying the Minister, is required for the period of the licence. • Incentive Areas Significant financial incentives are available for the first six years of exploration on relatively neglected areas or areas where current exploration is restricted to certain minerals. The incentives consist of substantially reduced fees and expenditure requirements, and are designed to provide scope for relatively inexpensive "grass roots" exploration, in order to: • Encourage work in areas where results of earlier exploration had failed to produce sufficient encouragement to the licensee, • Stimulate interest in ground that is not at present regarded as particularly prospective, The incentives apply to three categories of ground, viz. (i) Open Areas, where these Prospecting Licence areas have been available for application for more than four years, (ii) Areas currently licensed for certain minerals, but available for exploration for other minerals, and (iii) Open Ground, i.e. ground which has not yet been licensed. The relevant Open Areas are shown (numbered) on the accompanying map, which also clearly indicates the Open Ground category. Currently licensed areas for which exploration may be undertaken for other minerals are listed on pages 7-19. 1 Open Areas available for more than four years: Where a previously issued Prospecting Licence area has been available for application for at least four years, the licence will be granted, normally, for a term of six years. A reduced fee of €1,250 per Prospecting Licence will apply, payable in advance for each two-year phase as €375 for each of the first and second phases, and €500 for the third phase. This represents a reduction of €1,875 (60%) in fees compared to the standard requirements. (There is no reduction in the application fee). FEES Standard Incentive Areas Open Open/Licensed Ground Areas € € € First 2 years 750 375 375 Second 2 years 875 375 375 Third 2 years 1,500 500 500 TOTAL 3,125 1,250 1,250 MINIMUM EXPENDITURE REQUIREMENTS € € € First 2 years 10,000 2,500 2,500 Second 2 years 15,000 3,750 5,000 Third 2 years 20,000 5,000 10,000 TOTAL 45,000 11,250 17,500 The minimum expenditure requirements for metalliferous minerals for each two-year phase of the licence are also significantly reduced. For the first two-year phase the requirement is 25% of the normal requirement i.e. €2,500 instead of €10,000; for the second two-year phase it is 33% of normal (€5,000), and for the third two-year phase it is 50% of normal (€10,000). The total requirement for the six-year period, therefore, is €17,500 as compared to the normal requirement of €45,000. For non-metalliferous minerals, the expenditure requirements will be individually set, but will not normally be higher than those for metalliferous minerals. After the first six years, the fees and expenditure requirements revert to the standard rates. Currently Licensed Areas: Ground is also available to companies that wish to undertake exploration over areas currently held, for minerals that are not assigned to the current prospecting licence holder. Such additional prospecting licences will only be issued where the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources is satisfied that there will be no clash of mineral interests. The current prospecting licence holder continues to hold a standing Statement of Interest for all other minerals in that area. The fees and expenditure requirements will be the same as for prospecting licences that have been available for over four years i.e. the 'Open Areas' Incentive category (see above). Open Ground: Where a Prospecting Licence is issued over an area that is shown on the accompanying map as never having been licensed, the licence will normally be for a term of six years.