WEATHERLY International plc, the London-based parent entity of Weatherly Mining Namibia, announced today that the Environmental clearance has been issued for the Tschudi project by the Ministry of Tourism and Environment.  This is a key milestone for the company and puts Weatherly on a unique growth trajectory which will bring enormous benefits for Namibia and the mining community.

Craig Thomas (Managing Director, Weatherly Mining Namibia) commented:

 “The efficiency and effectiveness with which the Government, in general, and the Ministry of Tourism and Environment specifically, handled the requested environmental clearance for our Tschudi project is further testimony of Namibia’s dedication to the mining industry. We are delighted and thank the Government and the Ministry of Tourism and Environment for such a rapid turnaround”

“The Tschudi project will generate important benefits for Namibia and the Namibian community. I feel that this project and the process applied by the Ministry in granting the environmental clearance shine a very positive spotlight on Namibia as an investment destination.”

The project will create a substantial direct and indirect employment in Namibia for more than a decade and will provide an incubator for the next generation of mining industry specialists.   The Namibian mining industry is maturing, and exciting new projects like Tschudi will enable the creation of additional skills to ensure the country has the local talent necessary to drive further growth, expansion and prosperity.

The processing technology that will be used at Tschudi will result in the production of pure refined copper metal on site in Namibia for the very first time, taking mining industry value-addition to the highest level.

Finally, major Namibian institutions including GRN, GIPF and Labour Investment Holdings (LIH) effectively already own more than 10% of Weatherly’s projects in Namibia, with direct benefits to come from this level of equity ownership in addition to the direct returns to GRN through taxation and royalties.

“This will be a very challenging and exciting year for Weatherly and we look forward to the ongoing and outstanding support we already receive.”