Hastings’ Yangibana Rare Earths Project Gains “Lead Agency Project Status”

Hastings Technology Metals (ASX: HAS or the Company) is pleased to advise that following the lodgement of its Mine Permitting Applications (MPA) as previously announced on 3rd April 2017, the Yangibana Rare Earths Project (the “Project”) has been assessed by the Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) as a Lead Agency Project (LAP) under the Western Australian Government Lead Agency Framework.
The Project has been assigned a dedicated and experienced project approvals coordinator within the DMP to provide:

• Project specific approvals advice;
• Coordination of approvals across other WA Government agencies during the pre-submission and submission stages of the Company’s project proposal; and
• Project approval scoping sessions with relevant agencies to help identify potential “show stoppers” or “bottlenecks” in the decision-making process.

Hastings’ Yangibana Rare Earths Project status as a LAP will be published on the DMP website thereby providing the Project with an increased level of co-ordinated support from the various WA Government agencies and will help to expedite the MPA.
Charles Lew, Executive Chairman of Hastings commented:

“The Lead Agency Project status strengthens the Company’s commitment to building a mine and rare earths processing plant in the Gascoyne region which will provide hundreds of jobs in the area. We would like to thank the DMP and all those involved in assisting us to gain this LAP status. We are working hard on finishing our DFS soon and to meet our objective of getting into production by late 2019.”

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