GoldArc Clears Final Infrastructure Approval for Mt Stirling Mine Development

• Amended MDCP expands approved footprint to 126.8 hectares across eight tenements
• Western haul road adds a second approved ore haulage route
• Expanded accommodation village approved for the operational workforce
• BML Ventures continues to fund development under a 50/50 net profit share
• Mine schedule, site establishment and processing arrangements remain to be finalised

Haul Road and Camp Approval Removes Two Development Gaps

GoldArc Resources Limited (ASX:GA8) has obtained the infrastructure approval that sits between an approved mine plan and a functioning mining operation. Western Australia’s Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration has approved an amended Mining Development and Closure Proposal for the Mt Stirling and Mt Stirling Well deposits, adding a western haul road and an expanded accommodation village to the footprint approved in August.

The revised approval covers 126.8 hectares across eight tenements under Approvals Statement AS-01301 version 2.00. It brings the open pits, waste rock landforms, run-of-mine pads, stockpiles, water infrastructure, haul road and camp under one approval. GoldArc Managing Director Paul Stephen said the earlier approval covered the pits, while the latest decision covered “how the ore leaves site and where our people will live”.

Mt Stirling Moves From Permitting to Mine Preparation

The western haul road, within miscellaneous licence L37/294, creates a second approved route for ore haulage and access from the Mt Stirling and Mt Stirling Well pits. GoldArc said the route should provide greater scope to manage site access and weather events, although the announcement does not quantify its construction cost, operating benefit or schedule.

The accommodation village will span L37/271, M37/1306 and M37/1313 to house the expanded operational workforce. That approval follows the completion of the project’s grade control work, which had previously returned high-grade results at Mt Stirling Well in the final grade control round. GoldArc and development partner BML Ventures must now convert the approved footprint and drilling dataset into a detailed mine schedule.

BML continues to fund development under a 50/50 net profit share arrangement, while GoldArc retains 100% ownership of the Mt Stirling and Mt Stirling Well deposits. The partner-funded structure means the filing does not introduce a new GoldArc capital requirement, but it also provides no production guidance, capital expenditure estimate, operating cost forecast or expected project revenue.

Mining Start Still Depends on Schedule and Processing Deal

GoldArc says the Mt Stirling Project is now fully permitted and shovel ready, but mining has not been given a commencement date. The company and BML are finalising the detailed mine schedule and site establishment plans, including construction of the western haul road and accommodation village, while negotiations with nearby processing plants continue.

The next market-sensitive milestones are therefore practical rather than regulatory: the mine schedule, site establishment progress, a processing arrangement and an anticipated mining start date. GoldArc also plans to release results from a 7,000-metre reverse-circulation discovery program along the Ursus Fault at Leonora North, creating a separate exploration catalyst while the Mt Stirling development moves towards mobilisation.

Bottom Line?

The permitting hurdle has largely cleared, but the investment case now turns on timing, processing terms and whether site establishment becomes visible on the ground.

Questions in the middle?

• When will GoldArc and BML publish the detailed mine schedule and a credible mining commencement date?
• What processing plant arrangement and commercial terms will underpin the Mt Stirling operation?
• How will the completed grade control dataset affect the mine plan and expected project economics?