2. SPL1495 Sigatoka Ironsands Project

The mineral profile of the island, river and surrounding area has attracted interest from resource developers. Dome Gold Mines (also operating under Magma Mines Ltd) secured a Special Prospecting Licence renewal for its SPL1495 Sigatoka Ironsands Project which covers an area of approximately 2,522.69 hectares (Figure 3). This licence enables Dome to continue conducting a definitive feasibility study (DFS) of the area for an additional three years.

The purpose of the DFS is to determine the amount and type of minerals present in the licence area and their market value. Drill samples taken during the DFS show that Koroua Island consists of a twenty-six-metre deep sand and gravel deposit containing over one million tonnes of heavy minerals, predominantly magnetite, a mineral used in the production of steel. Findings from the DFS along with an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be used to support Dome’s application for a mining lease in the near future.

An EIA was conducted by an independent consultancy firm based in Fiji in late 2014. According to Dome Gold Mines’ 2015 annual report, the assessment concluded that ‘the proposed mining, dredging and mineral extraction development project is likely to have significant economic benefits to the local area, the region and the Country of Fiji and local residents are likely to benefit from the increase in productivity of land, river and marine environment and through job opportunities’. It is evident that the assessment failed to consider the social impacts of the project and did not adequately include the public. Figure 3 Known magnetite-bearing sand deposits within the licence area.