230607001547 - The proposed construction of a 21 million m3 tailings storage facility (TSF3) within the Erongo Region, Namibia

WASTE MANAGEMENT, TREATMENT, HANDLING AND DISPOSAL ACTIVITIES (2.1) The construction of facilities for waste sites, treatment of waste and disposal of waste. (2.3) The import, processing, use and recycling, temporary storage, transit or export of waste. • Construction of a tailings storage facility • A septic tank will be installed on-site (operational phase) and chemical toilets will be used during the construction phase. FORESTRY ACTIVITIES (4.) The clearance of forest areas, deforestation, aforestation, timber harvesting or any other related activity that requires authorisation in term of the Forest Act, 2001 (Act No. 12 of 2001) or any other law. • Vegetation will be cleared or buried during the construction, operation, closure and post-closure phases of the facility WATER RESOURCE DEVELOPMENTS (8.5) Construction of dams, reservoirs, levees and weirs (8.6) Construction of industrial and domestic wastewater treatment plants and related pipeline system • Construction of 21 million m3 tailings storage facility. HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE TREATMENT, HANDLING AND STORAGE (9.1) The manufacturing, storage, handling, or processing of hazardous substance defined in the Hazardous Substances Ordinance, 1974. (9.2) Any process or activity which requires a permit, licence or other form of authorisation, or the modification of or changes to existing facilities for any process or activity which requires an amendment of an existing permit, licence or authorisation or which requires a new permit, licence or authorisation in terms of a law governing the generation or release of emissions, pollution, effluent or waste. • Storage of tailings: similar to existing operations over the past few decades, once TSF3 is constructed, the gold processing fine waste, or tailings, will be piped to the storage facility in existing pipelines and along existing routes. Tailings slurry will be discharged and stored within the facility. As part of the gold recovery process, the slurry will have elevated concentrations of cyanide (CN). CN destruction will take place within the pipeline and within the facility, typically by oxidation. Exposure to air, wind, and sunshine typically destroys CN quickly. The water fraction of the slurry will pond and be pumped back to the processing facility. TSF3 being proposed within this form operate similarly to the currently operating TSF2. • A septic tank will be installed for the permanent ablutions that will be constructed. • Chemical toilets will be used during the construction phase of the project. The area of TSF3 will be approximately 40 - 50 ha, with one main pool of approximately 25 m in height and approximately 700 – 800 m in length constructed primarily of available, run of mine, non-mineralized mine waste rock. The facility will be designed to securely and permanently store the self-draining tailings sands. During operation, the coarsest sands will be deposited around the perimeter of the impoundment to help ensure ponded water is kept to the west rock ridge where water will be recycled and pumped back to the processing facility. The facility’s design will be fully compliant and consistent with international best practices, namely with ICOLD, ICMM and Mining Association of Canada standards and tailings guidelines. Design engineers have considered previously completed conceptual approaches and design, and will discuss options with the Proponent and ECC. TSF3 will be designed, constructed and operated to fully align with the overall site mine closure plan and environmental management plan. Assessment and design are expected to be completed by mid-2023, with approvals and construction during 2023 and commence operations by the end of 2024. The existing tailings storage facility, TSF2 has capacity at the current processing rate for tailings produced to the end of 2023 or early 2024