[File Photo]

Progress on issuing the Special Prospecting License for mining at Mount Kasi in Dawara, Cakaudrove is expected to be determined in the coming weeks.

Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Filimoni Vosarogo has confirmed that it is in its final stages and this has been a top priority for the Ministry since he took office.

He says that consultation and discussions have been done by the previous and current administrations to allow landowners to better understand the process in place for the issuing of the SPL.

“So it’s been more than a decade in the making. We inherited this file when we took over government in December 2022. By that time, the issuance process was probably about 80% complete. Consultation has been done many times prior to the coalition government coming into power.” 

Vosarogo has also indicated that the Australian company that has been talking to the landowners to conduct the work was not in the top five.

He adds that it is not easy to rationalize why such preference could be preferred when the process is highly technical and mines are extremely expensive to run.

Meanwhile, in 2020, the Ministry received applications expressing interest from eight companies, but they are still closely considering the issuance of SPL to a company that has the technical expertise and the financial capabilities to run operations in Mount Kasi.