ALKANE Resources is confident that submissions on the proposed $1 billion Dubbo Zirconia Project (DZP) at Toongi have not thrown up "any major issues" that will hinder its progress towards approval by the NSW Planning Assessment Commission.
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The proponent of the DZP, Australian Zirconia Limited, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alkane Resources that is seeking "project approval in the middle of next year".
The two-month public exhibition of the DZP Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) ended in mid-November with 67 submissions received by the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure from agencies, special interest groups and the public.
In a company interview released to the Australian Securities Exchange this week, Mr Chalmers said the EIS was a "very large, complex and thorough document".
"Therefore some have found it difficult to get simple answers to queries they might have," he said.
"There have been a number of submissions from individuals, non-government organisations and government agencies.
"At this stage we do not believe there are any major issues which will alter the timetable to any extent.
"We are working our way through and addressing each submission."
Mr Chalmers said Alkane Resources "very early on" identified the transport of reagents onto the Toongi mining site as one of the "crucial issues to manage" from an environmental/ social perspective.
He said the company has published information about the DZP transport options of road and rail on its website as it continued to evaluate them.
"We're working hard on this and believe we will have viable, workable solutions," Mr Chalmers said.
The managing director said "other main issues are a little more standard", such as dust control and water management.
"We've covered the radioactivity issue very well and there are no major submissions in that area," he said.
Alkane Resources wants to start construction of the DZP at the end of next year with a view to it being in production in the first half of 2016.
When completed, the company's responses to the submissions will be published on the department's website.
The department will consider submissions and the company's responses in its assessment of the proposal.
"Once the department has finalised its assessment it will make a recommendation to the independent Planning Assessment Commission which will make the final decision," a department spokesman has told the Daily Liberal.
