I am an AVZ bear at the moment. I am going to be as unemotive as...

I am an AVZ bear at the moment. I am going to be as unemotive as possible here.

Can more seasoned FA researchers like @Scarpa please review this.

This post is to get an answer on a critical question:

Q: Has AVZ even applied for a mining licence with DRC yet?

I have used this interactive Permit Map and as far as I can tell, the permit has not been applied for!

http://drclicences.cami.cd/en/



Can someone please investigate this thoroughly.

All I can see, despite selecting permit applications, is AVZ's exploration permit and it seems to indicate that the application for a mining permit has not been lodged ?

Why this matters?

Because in AVZ's announcement on 12 May 2020 it says:

"It is anticipated that this will take a month to complete the application then
several months for government approval to be received. The application is made jointly to the
Department of Mines and the Department of Environment."

If the application for the mining permit has not even been submitted, this could mean that there are "several months" from now until it is granted.

So on the one hand:

We have this source above that shows that no permit has actually been applied for yet; and
We know from the Sep 2020 quarterly that:

"The final hydrogeological model will
be included in the Manono Environmental and Social Impact Assessment report which will
accompany the application for the Manono mining permit"

The above map plus this announcement seems to indicate that the Manono mining permit has not yet been applied for?

And then, per the May announcement, AVZ has said it expects evaluation of the permit application and approvals to take "several months".


On the other hand:

In the AGM preso, on Slide 6 it says:

"Permits and environmental approvals expected in Q4 2020"


And yet on the other hand:

In the same AGM preso, on the Gantt chart on Slide 12 it says:

"Licensing, Permitting and Environmental Approvals" due Q3 2020 to Q1 2021


I am confused. By the looks of things and in my fair and honest opinion, I don't think AVZ has even applied for the mining permit yet.

If this is the case, wouldn't this surely push back FID even further? Wouldn't this hand over even more bargaining power to others?

I am relying on this map, which may not be up to date. Can someone investigate this topic further. Can management please advise us whether or not the mining permit has been applied for and confirm when it can be expected. If one has been applied for, when was it applied for?