VANCOUVER - Oct. 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Euro Manganese Inc. (TSX-V and ASX: EMN; OTCQX: EUMNF; Frankfurt: E06) (the "Company" or "EMN") is pleased to announce the completion of the land rezoning processes for the Chvaletice Manganese Project (the "Project"), and an update on the Project’s Environmental and Social Impact Assessment ("ESIA") approval process.
Highlights
- Rezoning of all tailings land and commercial plant land required for the Project is now complete, demonstrating continued support from local communities and municipal authorities.
- Noise abatement work has been completed to the satisfaction of the relevant authority and the amended ESIA has been resubmitted to the Czech Ministry of Environment ("MoE" or the "Ministry") for continuation of the ESIA approval process.
Completion of Land Rezoning for the Project
The Municipality of Chvaletice ("Chvaletice"), which lies just to the west of the Project and on which a portion the Project’s tailings and commercial plant site are located, has formally approved the rezoning of tailings land for mining use and certain areas within the commercial plant site that were required to be reclassified for heavy industrial use. Together with the rezoning of the Village of Trnavka’s ("Trnavka") tailings land for mining use, announced on March 23, 2022, the rezoning requirements for the Project are now complete.
Approval for the land-use plan change from both Chvaletice and Trnavka required intensive community consultation which has been ongoing for several years. The valuable local input received was factored into the Project’s planning and design. The rezoning demonstrates continued support from local communities and municipal authorities.
Update on ESIA Permitting Process
The Company has now resubmitted the amended ESIA to the MoE, which allows the ESIA approval process to continue. The Company anticipates the issuance of a positive decision on the revised ESIA within the next three months.
As previously reported, the Ministry received comments from 14 relevant authorities on the ESIA, which was initially submitted in December 2022. All but one of the authorities approved the relevant studies. The Ministry returned the ESIA to the Company to address comments from that authority, related to noise abatement. While the Project’s anticipated noise levels are within legislative limits for an industrial project, the cumulative effect when combined with neighbouring operations’ existing noise emissions marginally exceeded permitted noise levels at the measurement points, located at the closest residential areas. The Company has completed necessary work to achieve the reduction in modelled noise level emissions and has addressed the authority’s comments to their satisfaction.
Dr. Matthew James, President & CEO of Euro Manganese, commented: “The completion of the rezoning process for both the land on which the tailings reside and for the commercial plant is another milestone in the steady progress of the Project. We are grateful for the continued support of our neighbouring communities, Chvaletice and Trnavka. Our team has worked hard to ensure that local community residents are well-informed, and that meaningful opportunities are created for them to participate in the evaluation and planning of the Chvaletice Manganese Project. Our goal remains to build long-term, respectful, and collaborative relationships, while ensuring that the Project fits seamlessly into the environmental, social, and economic fabric of the region.
We fully respect the robustness of the ESIA process and are committed to minimising project impacts to the surrounding communities. With the noise abatement work completed to the satisfaction of the remaining authority, I look forward to the approval of the ESIA.”
About Euro Manganese
Euro Manganese is a battery materials company focused on becoming a leading producer of high-purity manganese for the electric vehicle industry. The Company is advancing development of the Chvaletice Manganese Project in the Czech Republic and exploring an early-stage opportunity to produce battery-grade manganese products in Bécancour, Québec.
The Chvaletice Project is a unique waste-to-value recycling and remediation opportunity involving reprocessing old tailings from a decommissioned mine. It is also the only sizable resource of manganese in the European Union, strategically positioning the Company to provide battery supply chains with critical raw materials to support the global shift to a circular, low-carbon economy.
Euro Manganese is dual listed on the TSXV and the ASX, and is also traded on the OTCQX.
Authorized for release by the CEO of Euro Manganese Inc.
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