PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Western Australian Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety has granted ASX-listed CZR Resources mining licences for the key deposits of its Robe Mesa iron-ore project.

CZR this week said that the granting of the mining licences added to the company’s definitive feasibility study (DFS) for the Robe Mesa project and was in addition to a consortium agreement struck with Strike Resources and CSL Australia to develop a joint export facility from the existing Port of Ashburton.

MD Stefan Murphy said the granting of the mining licences for Robe Mesa was a watershed moment for CZR and the outcome of several years of diligent, hard work by the company and its key stakeholders.

“CZR has a clear strategic goal to grow the size and forecast production rate from the Robe Mesa iron-ore project, to make it resilient throughout the economic cycles and a more valuable asset for CZR and its shareholders,” Murphy said.

“The granting of mining licences covering the Robe Mesa deposit, following a collaborative agreement with the Robe River Kuruma traditional owners, has been a goal of CZR for many years and further derisks our project, adding value to the Robe Mesa asset.

“Iron-ore is largely driven by logistics and marketing, and CZR has shown over the past month that much of the hard work behind the scenes is beginning to pay off, with the pit-to-port value chain taking shape and bolt-on acquisitions secured to further enhance our project scale.”

CZR is now updating its mine plan and production schedule for Robe Mesa, targeting 3.5-million tonnes a year to align with its proposed export capacity through the Port of Ashburton, while haul road and port engineering studies are also well advanced, which will be critical inputs to the DFSes.

The company will start field activities next week, with resource definition drilling and water bore drilling, including test pumping to confirm adequate water supplies for mining operations at Robe Mesa.