| Introduction | WNP – Air Discharge Assessment - Wharekirauponga Underground Mine -t| 4397169-66885702-23 | |9 ● Class 1 explosives magazine with appropriate separation and security ● Class 5 emulsion storage magazine with required separation ● Minor hazardous substances holdings including diesel, oils, greases, coolants, limeetc ● A package sewage treatment plant and soakaway area ● Security fencing, a real time surveillance camera system, gatehouse, signage and appropriately designed lighting ● A high voltage (HV) substation including HV and LV switch rooms and transformers. 1.2.4 Tunnel access portals Two tunnel access portals will be developed: (1) an initial single, main access portal for tunnelling and return of stored rock for backfilling located at Willows Road farm (the “Willows Portal”); and (2) a single-materials handling portal located near the processing plant (“WUG Portal”) that will be used to transport ore out of the mine and rock back into the mine for stope backfilling (on exhaustion of the Willows Road rock storage). 1.2.5 Wharekirauponga Underground Mine Personnel, material and consumable access to the underground mine will occur entirely via the underground tunnel utilising either the Willows, or WUG Portals. Modified Avoca will be utilised at WUG and has been used successfully at Waihi as it is a flexible mining method for minimising dilution in narrow vein orebodies. During the early stages of the mine, following commencement of stoping2 and while development rock generation is still in progress, rock will be trucked internally from the active development faces to the stopes for backfill (i.e once stoping commences, there is no need to haul rock back to Willows Road). As the mine life progresses, capital rock development will cease and the stockpile at Willows Road will be drawn down. Once the Willows Rock Stack (WRS) is exhausted, rock will be required to be imported into the mine from stockpiles at the Waihi Surface Facilities Area via the WUG Portal. Mined ore from WUG will be transported to the existing Waihi Processing Plant via the WUG Portal for gold and silver extraction. The ventilation system has been designed to be adequate to supply sufficient quantities of air for safe and efficient tunnelling, exploration and mining operations in line with New Zealand regulatory requirements, including diesel exhaust dilution rates, airflows, velocities and dust. A minimum of two shafts are required at the orebody, with a possibility of up to four shafts being required, depending on final mine design and geotechnical constraints. 1.3 Air Discharge Consent Requirements The discharges to air associated with the construction and operation of the tunnels are a permitted activity under Rule 6.1.16.1 of the Waikato Regional Plan subject to conditions. While OGNZL anticipates that the activity will comply with the permitted activity conditions, for certainty OGNZL wishes to apply for an air discharge consent under Rule 6.1.9.2 of the Waikato Regional Plan. Other consents are required to authorise the project. On this basis, it is prudent to assess the effects of the resultant air discharges so that appropriate account is taken of all of the effects that will likely accrue from the project. 1.4 Purpose of Report This report has been prepared by Beca Ltd (Beca) on behalf of OGNZL to support an Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE) to accompany an application to the Waikato Regional Council for resource consent to discharge contaminants to air. It has been prepared in accordance with section 88 and the Fourth Schedule of the Resource Management Act (RMA) and the Ministry for the Environment’s “Good 2 Stope- excavation in a mine working in the form of a step or notch
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