CRP
04/02/2015 14:28
GENERAL
NOT PRICE SENSITIVE
REL: 1428 HRS Chatham Rock Phosphate Limited
GENERAL: CRP: CRP assists with Namibian environmental pilot
Media Release
CRP assists with Namibian environmental pilot
4 February 2015
Chatham Rock Phosphate is sharing its experience of New Zealand's
environmental consenting regime to assist Namibia in designing an
environmental assessment process for its seabed phosphate resources.
The Namibian government sought input from interested parties to define the
content of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of phosphate mining off
Namibia and on-shore phosphate processing.
CRP has just concluded a multi-million dollar process seeking a marine
consent from New Zealand's Environmental Protection Authority. A decision
will be announced next week.
CRP has applied through a Namibian subsidiary to explore marine phosphate
deposits in Namibian waters. The applications will be considered by the
Ministry of Mines and Energy when Namibia's regional EIA is completed and the
moratorium on exploration is lifted.
Managing Director Chris Castle said CRP decided to comment on the Namibia
seabed environmental assessment project given the company's first-hand New
Zealand experience.
"CRP's environmental research and consultation had to be of the highest
quality to comply with the rigorous standards demanded by the EPA process.
This was demonstrated by the fact that the conferencing between experts
during the marine consent hearing process achieved broad levels of agreement
on most of our scientific findings.
"We were told by Namibian government officials that New Zealand is viewed as
developing international best practice standards for marine mining and so we
are keen to support efforts for that to be achieved as widely as possible."
CRP was awarded a mining permit over the key resource area on the Chatham
Rise in December 2013 and submitted its weighty Environmental Impact
Assessment in May 2014 as a prelude to the marine consent process.
"More than $30 million has been spent on the project in the last seven and a
half years covering exploration, engineering and environmental studies," Mr
Castle said. "CRP investigations have contributed to the Chatham Rise being
now regarded as one of the best researched and understood marine environments
in the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone."
The research undertaken by CRP over the past four years has included analysis
of oceanographic conditions, trace elements and toxicology, fish population
dynamics, mammal and seabird behaviours, sea floor environmental surveys,
plus modelling the interconnections of marine organisms, sediment plume
dynamics, the distribution of benthic communities, and the potential impacts
from mining on the marine ecosystem.
The information provided by CRP to the Namibian government includes
electronic links to the EPA website containing the full EIA, transcripts of
the hearing, expert evidence, public submissions and associated information
presented during the 26-day hearing process.
The response, based on recent experience, includes CRP's commentary on the
tasks required for a robust assessment of the marine environment and the
potential impacts of marine mining. In its response CRP emphasised the
importance of identifying and consulting with existing interests, collecting
baseline information on oceanographic conditions and environmental linkages
and sensitivities, and using numerical models to predict the nature and
extent of impacts from marine mining.
Chris Castle, Managing Director +64 21 558 185 or [email protected]
End CA:00260314 For:CRP Type:GENERAL Time:2015-02-04 14:28:27
