The fast-track assessment panel has issued a 30-point request for additional information to Santana Minerals regarding its Central Otago gold mine application, with the company voluntarily pausing its application processing on Thursday.
The Environmental Protection Authority, acting on behalf of the panel, asked whether Santana would indemnify the public against costs of long-term low-risk high-consequence outcomes. The panel also sought information about relocating 102,000 lizards from the mine site, requesting alternative methods after hearing evidence that relocated lizards were likely to have very low long-term survival rates. Evidence presented to the panel indicated relocation could cost tens of millions of dollars.
The EPA said the application did not adequately address cultural impacts and noted the absence of a social impact assessment was unusual. The panel requested evidence on impacts to water quality and aquatic ecology, plus assessment of toxic risks to wildlife and humans from degraded water. Eight requests concerned economic calculations covering best- and worst-case scenarios.
Santana lodged a 9400-page application in November proposing a 1000m by 850m open pit, 3 smaller satellite pits and a tailings dam in the Dunstan Mountains near Cromwell. The company has announced discovery of a $4.4 billion gold deposit at the site and previously stated the project would employ hundreds of people and generate $6 billion in revenue and more than $1 billion in taxes and royalties.
Chief executive Damian Spring said the panel's request provided a clear roadmap for outstanding work. "We've spent years building the evidence base for this project and this next phase is about making sure the panel has every piece of information it needs to reach a well-informed decision," he said. The company anticipates the pause will run approximately 20 working days, though it told shareholders that timeline could change. A final decision was originally scheduled for October.
Central Otago Environmental Society co-chairperson Phil Murray said the request demonstrated the magnitude of risks being assessed. He told RNZ that unidentified problems were the underlying cause of tailings dam failures internationally, adding "it's quite understandable that the panel will need quite a bit of detail to be reassured that all these matters are covered off". A Sustainable Tarras spokesperson said the late-stage request for baseline information highlighted the incomplete nature of Santana's original application.