Application for mining licence

(1) An application for the grant of a mining licence may be made by the holder of an exclusive prospecting licence or by a person who is not such a holder. (2) Where an application for the grant of a mining licence is made the holder of an exclusive prospecting licence, the application shall be made– (a) only in respect of land subject to the exclusive (b) only if the holder has given notice to the Minister of the discovery in commercial quantities of any mineral to which his licence relates; and (c) not later than two months, or such further periods as the Minister may allow, after that notice was given to the Minister. (3) An application for the grant of a mining licence– (a) shall give information of the kind referred to in section 15 (a); (b) shall identify the minerals which it is proposed to mine; 36 (c) shall state the number of the exclusive prospecting licence, if any, held by the applicant and shall give details of any exclusive prospecting licence held by the applicant, or by any person controlling, controlled by or under joint or common control with, the applicant, during the preceding four years; (d) shall be accompanied by a plan of the area over which the licence is sought, drawn in such manner as the Minister may require and showing– (i) the name of each owner/lawful occupier of a holding in, or partly in, that area and in the case of more than one such holding, the boundaries within that area of each such holding; and (ii) such other particulars as the Minister (e) shall state the period for which the licence is sought; (f) shall give or be accompanied by a statement giving details of the mineral deposits in the area of land over which the licence is sought, including details of all known minerals proved, estimated or inferred, ore reserves and mining conditions; (g) shall be accompanied by a technical report on mining and treatment possibilities and the intention of the applicant in relation thereto; 37 (h) shall give or be accompanied by a statement giving particulars of the programme of proposed mining operations, including a statement of– (i) the estimated date by which the applicant intends to work for profit; (ii) the estimated capacity of production and scale of operations; (iii) the estimated overall recovery of ore and mineral products; (iv) the nature of the products; (v) proposals for the prevention of pollution, the treatment of wastes, the safeguarding of natural resources, the progressive reclamation and rehabilitation of land disturbed by mining and for the minimisation of the effects of mining on surface water and groundwater and on adjoining or neighbouring lands; (vi) the residual effects on the environment of the mining operations and proposals for their minimisation; (vii) any particular risks, whether to health or otherwise, involved in mining the mineral, and proposals for their control or elimination; and (viii) any significant effect which the carrying out of the programme is likely to have on the environment and on any monument or relic in the area over which the licence is sought and proposals for eliminating or controlling that effect; (i) shall give or be accompanied by a statement giving a detailed forecast of capital investment, operating costs and revenues and the anticipated type and source of financing; (j) shall be accompanied by a report on the goods and services required for the mining operation which can be obtained within Belize and the applicant’s proposals with respect to the procurement of those goods and services; (k) shall give or be accompanied by a statement giving particulars of the applicant’s proposals with respect to the employment and training of citizens of Belize; (l) shall be accompanied by a statement giving particulars of expected infrastructure requirements; and (m) may set out any other matter which the applicant wishes the Minister to consider. (4) Where an application for the grant of a mining licence is made by a person who is not the holder of an exclusive prospecting licence the application shall, in addition to the matter referred to in sub-section (3), give or be accompanied by a statement giving particulars of the financial and technical resources available to the applicant for the licence.