Botswana’s Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) has approved the EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) for Tlou’s Boomslang project. The Boomslang Prospecting Licence PL011/2019 is located adjacent to the Company’s Lesedi power project.
All proposed project activities outlined under the EIS have been authorised. These include:
· Drilling of core holes and stratigraphy boreholes;
· Conducting seismic and geomagnetic surveys;
· Pilot testing pods, monitoring wells and evaporation ponds; and
· Installation of pumping monitoring, gathering lines and evaluation equipment.
Tlou believes the Boomslang project can complement the more mature Lesedi and Mamba projects, particularly given the presence of the highly prospective Serowe coal seam. The Lesedi and Mamba projects primarily target the deeper Morupule coal seam.
Also read: Tlou to save gas, save cash in Botswana
EIS approval for exploration of the Boomslang permit (Tlou 100%) represents another key milestone for the Company. Successful exploration and development of the Boomslang area could facilitate Tlou’s longer term strategy of expansion beyond the current Lesedi project area.
Lesedi Project – Commencement of Development
The Company plans to commence work on the development of the Lesedi project as soon as possible. Key stages to achieve first revenue are as follows:
1. Construction of the transmission line to connect Lesedi to the existing power grid;
2. Installation of substations at the Lesedi site and at Serowe to integrate with the grid;
3. Installation of generation assets at Lesedi;
4. Commissioning and testing;
5. Sale of first power.
Following the recent capital raising totalling £2.6M, the Company now has funds in place to allow the transmission line construction to commence. Crucially, the raising has allowed the Company to control the timing of project construction and it can now commence work on the transmission line regardless of the time it takes for other current funding negotiations to be completed.
