Rua Gold seeks fast-track approval for Auld Creek mine near Reefton
Rua Gold submitted a referral application for fast-track permitting for its Auld Creek underground mine and processing plant near Reefton. A decision is expected by mid-July.
Rua Gold has applied for permission to seek fast-track permitting for its South Island underground gold mine and ore processing plant near Reefton. The junior explorer’s “referral application” was submitted to the Government this week, and a decision on referral is expected by mid-July. If approved, it would allow the company to apply for one-stop consenting under the Government’s fast-track legislation for its Auld Creek project.
The company said its application is a key milestone in its transition from an explorer to a gold mine developer. If successful, the application would enable Rua Gold to secure mining permits, resource consents, water-use permissions, and wildlife approvals.
Rua vice-president Simon Delander confirmed that the company aims to formally apply for approvals under fast-track before the November election. Delander said the company currently has five drill rigs running fulltime in the Reefton area in an effort to shore up the resource size of its gold and antimony deposit.
The drilling data gathered will feed a Preliminary Economic Assessment for planned completion next month and a Preliminary Feasibility Study, expected late this year; the respective work is aimed at giving investors and others mounting insight into the economic and technical merits of the project. Delander said the company is hopeful it will have the Auld Creek mine and processing facility up and running in 2028.
Delander said the intensity of Rua’s work has taken a “big step up” and the company now has some 50 employees based in New Zealand, the majority of whom are in Reefton and its surrounds. The company is well-funded following an equity issue last month that raised C$33 million ($40m).
In February, the junior miner listed on the NZX; Vancouver-based Rua’s primary share listing remains in Canada on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Rua Gold said the Auld Creek site is part of its portfolio of more than 120,000 hectares of mining tenements in the Reefton area.