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Anson Resources Ltd (ASX:ASN) has received final approval from the State of Utah for lithium extraction at its Green River project, with the 14-month process of application indicating that the use of brine for this process will have no negative effects on the surrounding environment.
Significantly, the approval – which Anson had applied for in July 2023 – is the first one in the state which refers to a large-scale lithium project, and was granted through the Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Rights.
It means the company will be able to use brine to extract lithium at Green River, with the approval allowing for the non-consumptive use of 19 cubic feet of brine, which will later be returned to the geological formation from which it was extracted.
The return of brine to its site of origin is what confirms its status as ‘non-consumptive’.
Anson Executive Chairman and CEO Bruce Richardson said his company had fostered strong engagement with local authorities and sought to understand community issues in its approach to project planning.
“The company always believed we were fully compliant with the requirements for this approval and will continue to work with all levels of government and the community
to advance the project,” he said.
“We are moving quickly through the government permitting application process which is aided by the acquisition of private land at Green River.
“The planned extraction wells are to be located on that land, a brownfields site where there
has already been surface disturbance.
“Importantly, the Department of Natural Resources acknowledged there was no connection between the brine that Anson intends to extract and surface waters including rivers and ground water systems and that the process the Company has determined to use to extract
lithium and return the waste brine to the same formation from which the brine was extracted is a non-consumptive process, unlike evaporation ponds.”
Anson shares have been trading at 9.7 cents.
