Investigator Silver has secured heritage clearance for every proposed disturbance area within its Paris Silver Project mining lease application, removing a significant step in the approvals process. The company still needs to conclude a Native Title Mining Agreement, secure further approvals and reach a Final Investment Decision.
- Heritage clearance covers all proposed Paris mining and infrastructure disturbance areas
- Survey involved six weeks of field work and more than 3,300 walking hours
- Clearance supports negotiations with the Gawler Ranges Aboriginal Corporation
- Native Title Mining Agreement, environmental approvals, financing and FID remain outstanding
Heritage clearance covers Paris disturbance footprint
Investigator Silver Limited (ASX:IVR) has received heritage clearance for all proposed disturbance areas associated with its Paris Silver Project on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula. The clearance covers the mining and infrastructure footprint included in the company’s mining lease application, giving Investigator a more defined platform for the next stage of permitting and project development.
The outcome follows a six-week survey involving more than 3,300 cumulative walking hours by Traditional Owners, archaeologists, anthropologists and Investigator personnel. The company said feedback gathered during the on-Country process was used to refine the mine design and layout before the Mining Lease Application was lodged.
Agreement with Traditional Owners remains the next milestone
Heritage clearance is an important input to negotiations with the Gawler Ranges Aboriginal Corporation for a Native Title Mining Agreement, or NTMA. That agreement is not yet complete. Investigator said the parties are continuing discussions covering cultural heritage, economic benefits and ongoing engagement through development and operations.
The survey findings will also feed into preparation of a Cultural Heritage Management Plan and the Program for Environment Protection and Rehabilitation. Those documents sit alongside the remaining regulatory approvals needed before ground-disturbing construction and mining activities can begin.
Paris advances from feasibility into execution planning
Investigator is now progressing engineering, process design, permitting and financing workstreams in parallel after completing a Definitive Feasibility Study in February 2026. The company says those activities are aimed at a Final Investment Decision, but the announcement provides no new financing terms, production guidance or changes to the project’s economics.
Paris has a reported mineral resource of 24 million tonnes grading 73 grams per tonne silver and 0.41% lead, containing 57 million ounces of silver and 99,000 tonnes of lead. Its 2026 ore reserve comprises 12 million tonnes at 88 grams per tonne silver for 33 million ounces, although those figures describe the resource and reserve base rather than a newly announced operating outcome.
Bottom Line?
The heritage hurdle has moved, but the investment case still turns on the NTMA, environmental approvals, funding and the eventual Final Investment Decision.
Questions in the middle?
- When will Investigator and the Gawler Ranges Aboriginal Corporation conclude the Native Title Mining Agreement?
- What conditions and timing will attach to the Cultural Heritage Management Plan and environmental approvals?
- Can financing and engineering work advance to a Final Investment Decision without changes to the project’s development economics?