Brightstar Resources (ASX:BTR) has secured approval from the Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration for its mining development and closure proposal at the Lady Shenton open pit mine, part of the 1.6Moz @ 1.6g/t Au Goldfields Hub in Menzies, Western Australia.
With the native vegetation clearing permit already granted, the 352,000-ounce Lady Shenton deposit is now considered ‘mine ready’ and set for production.
Brightstar plans to mine Lady Shenton and transport ore to its proposed CIL processing plant in Laverton, with updated mine plans for Yunndaga Underground and Lady Shenton to be incorporated into the upcoming DFS2.0 study.
Managing Director Alex Rovira described the approval as a "key milestone" for the company's Menzies assets, noting that Lady Shenton represents a low-capital, high-margin deposit that complements Brightstar's broader Goldfields Hub development.
He added that the company will provide an updated DFS2.0 and development timeline for the Menzies and Laverton Gold Projects later this quarter.
Brightstar, an unhedged gold producer with two owner-operator underground mines, is targeting a final investment decision for the Goldfields Hub in the March quarter.
The company also holds a large-scale, under-explored asset at the 2.4Moz @ 1.5g/t Au Sandstone Gold Project, with over 4Moz of mineral resources on granted mining leases across its portfolio.
At the time of reporting, Brightstar Resources' share price was $0.52.