Hera Project, via Nymagee Preliminary Environmental Assessment July 2011 Prepared by: R.W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED PRELIMINARY ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT This page has intentionally been left blank Hera Project, via Nymagee Preliminary Environmental Assessment Prepared for: YTC Resources Limited Telephone: (02) 6361 4700 ABN: 37 108 476 384 Facsimile: (02) 6361 4711 2 Corporation Place Email: [email protected] ORANGE NSW 2800 Prepared by: R.W. Corkery & Co. Pty. Limited Geological & Environmental Consultants ABN: 31 002 033 712 Brooklyn Office: Orange Office: Brisbane Office: 1st Floor, 12 Dangar Road 62 Hill Street Level 19, 1 Eagle Street PO Box 239 ORANGE NSW 2800 BRISBANE QLD 4000 BROOKLYN NSW 2083 Telephone: (02) 9985 8511 Telephone: (02) 6362 5411 Telephone: (07) 3360 0217 Facsimile: (02) 9985 8208 Facsimile: (02) 6361 3622 Facsimile: (07) 3360 0222 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Ref No. 659/05a July 2011 R. W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED YTC RESOURCES LIMITED - ii - PRELIMINARY ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Hera Project Report No. 659/05a COPYRIGHT © R.W. Corkery & Co. Pty Limited 2011 and © YTC Resources Limited 2011 All intellectual property and copyright reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this report may be reproduced, transmitted, stored in a retrieval system or adapted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without written permission. Enquiries should be addressed to R.W. Corkery & Co. Pty Limited. R. W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED PRELIMINARY ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT - iii - YTC RESOURCES LIMITED Report No. 659/05a Hera Project CONTENTS Page 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 SCOPE ................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 THE PROPONENT ................................................................................................................ 1 1.3 PROJECT SITE ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.4 SURROUNDING MINING OPERATIONS ............................................................................. 3 1.5 MANAGEMENT OF INVESTIGATIONS ................................................................................ 4 2. BACKGROUND TO THE PROJECT............................................................................................... 5 2.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 5 2.2 EXISTING MINERAL AUTHORITIES .................................................................................... 5 2.3 GEOLOGY, PREVIOUS MINING EXPLORATION AND RESOURCES AND RESERVES............................................................................................................................ 5 2.3.1 Historic Mining Operations ........................................................................................ 5 2.3.2 Previous Exploration Operations .............................................................................. 6 2.3.3 Hera Deposit Mineralisation ...................................................................................... 6 2.3.4 Resources and Reserves .......................................................................................... 9 3. PROJECT OBJECTIVES .............................................................................................................. 10 4. PROJECT OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................. 11 4.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 11 4.2 APPROVED ACTIVITIES .................................................................................................... 11 4.3 PROPOSED ACTIVITIES .................................................................................................... 13 4.4 APPROVALS REQUIRED ................................................................................................... 16 5. PLANNING ISSUES ...................................................................................................................... 17 5.1 PERMISSIBILITY OF THE PROJECT ................................................................................. 17 5.2 CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE PLANNING INSTRUMENTS ........................................... 18 5.2.1 State Environmental Planning Policy (Major Development) 2005 .......................... 18 5.2.2 State Environmental Planning Policy (Mining, Petroleum Production and Extractive Industries) 2007 ..................................................................................... 18 5.2.3 State Environmental Planning Policy (Rural Lands) 2008 ...................................... 18 5.2.4 State Environmental Planning Policy No. 33 – Hazardous and Offensive Development ........................................................................................................... 19 5.2.5 State Environmental Planning Policy No. 44 – Koala Habitat Protection ............... 20 6. PROJECT DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................................. 20 6.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 20 6.2 INTRASTRUCTURE ESTABLISHMENT ............................................................................. 20 6.2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 20 6.2.2 Water Management ................................................................................................. 21 6.2.3 Water Harvesting Structures ................................................................................... 22 R. W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED YTC RESOURCES LIMITED - iv - PRELIMINARY ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Hera Project Report No. 659/05a CONTENTS Page 6.3 SITE PREPARATION .......................................................................................................... 23 6.3.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 23 6.3.2 Vegetation Clearing ................................................................................................. 23 6.3.3 Soil Stripping ........................................................................................................... 24 6.4 UNDERGROUND MINING OPERATIONS .......................................................................... 25 6.4.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 25 6.4.2 Construction of the Box Cut and Portal ................................................................... 25 6.4.3 Underground Development ..................................................................................... 27 6.4.4 Underground Stoping Operations ........................................................................... 29 6.4.5 Mining Rate ............................................................................................................. 31 6.4.6 Mining Equipment .................................................................................................... 31 6.5 PROCESSING OPERATIONS............................................................................................. 32 6.5.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 32 6.5.2 Processing Plant Layout and Overview .................................................................. 32 6.6 TAILINGS MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................. 33 6.6.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 33 6.6.2 Tailings Storage Facility .......................................................................................... 33 6.6.3 Tailings Volume ....................................................................................................... 34 6.6.4 Tailings Material Characteristics ............................................................................. 34 6.6.5 Operation of the Tailings Storage Facility ............................................................... 34 6.6.6 Monitoring of the Tailings Storage Facility .............................................................. 34 6.7 WASTE ROCK MANAGEMENT .......................................................................................... 35 6.7.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 35 6.7.2 Temporary Waste Rock Emplacement Design ....................................................... 35 6.7.3 Waste Rock Emplacement, Processing and Reclamation Procedures .................. 35 6.7.4 Material Characteristics and Leachate Management .............................................. 36 6.7.5 Waste Rock Balance ..............................................................................................