en.Wedoany.com Reported - Silver Mines has submitted an updated Biodiversity Development Assessment Report (BDAR) for its Bowdens project in New South Wales, as part of the project's development application redetermination process, marking a key step toward actual development.

The submission also includes a response to a Request for Information (RFI) from the New South Wales Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI). Silver Mines stated that after consultations with DPHI in late 2025, the company updated the project's ecological surveys and revised the biodiversity assessment in accordance with the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.

The company expects DPHI to first evaluate the updated submission, then provide an updated assessment report to the New South Wales Independent Planning Commission (IPC), which will consider the redetermination of the project's development application. Silver Mines Managing Director Jo Battershill described this submission as a significant milestone for the Bowdens project. He emphasized that the decision to update the ecological studies in late 2025 provided the company with a viable path through the redetermination process, and the team subsequently focused on completing the surveys and submitting the BDAR as required.

With both the BDAR and the RFI response submitted, Battershill stated that the company is looking forward to the next phase of the approval process. He noted that the Bowdens project remains a critical minerals project of state and regional significance, and its development is the company's top priority.

Located approximately 26 kilometers east of Mudgee in central New South Wales, the Bowdens project is described by Silver Mines as Australia's largest undeveloped silver mine. The project area covers 2,115 square kilometers of tenements within the highly mineralized Rylstone Volcanics region, with a strike length of approximately 80 kilometers, and has potential for silver, lead, zinc, copper, and gold mineralization systems.

Battershill stated that if the project is successfully developed, it will bring a significant boost to the local labor market. It is estimated that the construction phase will create over 300 jobs, and the steady-state operations phase will create more than 200 jobs, potentially making it one of the largest employers in the region. He also revealed that the final feasibility study for the Bowdens project is nearly complete, and the company plans to announce the results to investors in the coming weeks.

Silver Mines stated that it will continue consultations with government departments, local communities, and other stakeholders throughout the assessment and redetermination period.