GEMCO Offshore Leases Group technical report EL 27576, EL 27577, EL 27578 and EL 27579, 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011

Abstract

The lease package was secured by GEMCO given their location surrounding Groote Eylandt and activity by other exploration companies in the area. As a result of Traditional Owner disquiet GEMCO informed the Anindilyakwa Land Council that no exploration activity would be conducted that was not in accordance with the Traditional Owner wishes. After investigation into available undersea mining technology, GEMCO also informed the Traditional Owners that currently there was no technology available that would allow mining this area and meet the internal governance standards of BHP Billiton or those of the Traditional Owners. This information was subsequently passed to both the Minister for Resources and the Department of Resources. Consequently no active exploration has been undertaken on these leases during the reporting period.