St Barbara’s Nova Scotia gold hub gets green light

Australia’s St Barbara (ASX: SBM) has advanced plans for its Nova Scotia gold development after federal assessment regulators accepted the initial project description for the proposed 15-Mile Processing Hub, launching the formal permitting process.

The the filing now goes for a 20-day public comment period and consultation with First Nation communities before officials decide whether a full federal impact assessment is required.

“This submission marks a major milestone in advancing the 15-Mile Processing Hub Project to approval,” managing director and CEO Andrew Strelein said. “It reflects nearly three years of work to redesign and strengthen the project to incorporate and address feedback received from regulators, local communities and Mi’kmaq communities.”

The project, which aligns with a recent cooperation agreement between Ottawa and Nova Scotia aimed at delivering a “one project, one review” process, would redevelop three historical mining sites in Nova Scotia and establish a central processor capable of treating three million tonnes of ore annually. It would produce around 100,000 oz. of gold a year over 11 years, according to prefeasibility study released earlier this year. 

Redesign

The hub would process ore from the 15-Mile, Old Austen and Old Mitchell mines, replacing earlier concepts that contemplated multiple processing facilities. St Barbara said the redesign incorporates feedback from First Nation communities, regulators, environmental experts and local stakeholders while drawing on a decade of environmental studies and three years of engineering work.

According to the company, the revised design reduces land disturbance at the 15-Mile site by 23%, at Old Austen by 43% and at Old Mitchell by 55%.

The redesign also eliminates several previously proposed roads and processing facilities, reduces wetland and watershed impacts, and includes remediation of historical mining areas affected by elevated mercury and arsenic levels.

Process

The filing marks the first step in a broader permitting process that will include Nova Scotia’s Environmental Assessment Registration Document and a range of provincial and federal approvals. 

St Barbara plans to submit the environmental assessment documentation in the third quarter of fiscal 2027 while advancing a feasibility study in parallel.

The project is expected to generate an estimated $5 billion in economic activity across construction, operations and closure. St Barbara estimates the development would create about 1,386 construction jobs and roughly 740 long-term operating positions in rural Nova Scotia.