The modified site layout of the Oropesa tin project in Spain
The definitive feasibility study (DFS) and licensing activities for the Oropesa tin project will resume, following an agreement between Elementos and the Andalusian government on project layout modifications to address community and environmental concerns.
The negotiations with government have delivered improved project outcomes, ASX-listed Elementos said on Wednesday, but noted that it had impacted on development timelines.
Elementos is now targeting primary approvals and a final investment decision by the end of 2025, ahead of planned delivery of Oropesa’s first tin concentrate in late 2027.
MD Joe David said that the administration had also been a strong supporter of Oropesa, which is one of the world’s biggest undeveloped, opencut tin deposits.
“The project has been reaffirmed as a key project within the government’s project accelerator unit and has support from the highest levels of the administration through to the local mayors, community stakeholders and residents,” he said.
The main project modifications include relocating the external waste dumps from the northern edge of the openpit to a series of smaller dumps around the southern and western edges of the openpit. These areas have a significantly lower density of flora and will minimise impact on trees and associated wildlife.
The tailings dam has been moved from the northern edge of the pit into the north-western corner of the tenure, bordered by natural topography, reducing the impact on trees.
a 375-m-long section of a 5-km access road has been redesigned and relocated to avoid overlap with a stock cattle route.
A 2022 optimisation study has confirmed that a 1.25-million-tonne-a-year project could produce 3 350 t/y of contained tin.