Tertiary Minerals PLC on Monday said its local partner Mwashia Resources Ltd received approval from the Zambian Environmental Management Agency for its Mushima North copper projects.

The mineral exploration and development company focused on Zambia and the US state of Nevada said Mwashia received approval of the environmental project brief from the Zambian government for the copper projects, in which Tertiary Minerals is earning up to a 90% interest.

It follows ZEMA also approving the Konkola West and Lubuila projects on November 24.

Tertiary Minerals said the Mushima North project and the Mukai project benefit from a data sharing and technical agreement with copper producer First Quantum Minerals Ltd, as announced in September.

Tertiary added that the Mukai copper project is its final outstanding EPB, with the approval process now at ‘an advanced stage’.

EPB approval is a key approval required before field exploration programmes can proceed.

‘I am delighted to report that we have received EPB approval for the Mushima North copper project where we are currently working through the shared First Quantum Minerals data in preparation for the coming field exploration season,’ said Executive Chair Patrick Cheetham.

‘On a recent visit to Zambia in December our exploration manager recovered sulphide mineralised drill core from a drill hole completed in the 1960s at Mushima North which reportedly tested an extensive copper-in-soil anomaly and intersected wide zones of low-grade copper mineralisation.

‘We will be assaying this core shortly to validate this early target.’

Shares in Tertiary Minerals were up 11% to 0.17 pence each in London on Monday morning.

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