Bardoc Gold delivers inaugural ESG roadmap as it advances towards production at flagship gold asset

Bardoc Gold Ltd (ASX:BDC) (FRA:4SF) has detailed its commitment to ­­operating sustainably as it brings its flagship gold asset into production. The gold explorer detailed its mission and strategy in its first-ever environmental, social and governance (ESG) report, released this week. Bardoc is preparing to move to miner status in the coming year as it works to commission its namesake Bardoc Gold Project, with the ESG paper forming a framework for the years to come. With development imminent, the ASX-lister has set its sights on a suite of environmental, safety and community-centric targets to facilitate its transition to producer. Flagship project and gold miner in the making As it advances the Bardoc Gold Project from exploration to development and operations, Bardoc continues to uncover its gold play’s potential. The WA-based, wholly-owned precious metals asset spans 250 square kilometres within one of the world’s premier mining locations, boasting a mineral resource of more than three million ounces and a one-million-ounce ore reserve. In March this year, Bardoc completed a definitive feasibility study, which forecasts the Bardoc Gold Project will produce 136,000 gold ounces per annum at an all-in sustaining cost of $1,188 per gold ounce. Bardoc Gold executive chairman Tony Leibowitz said: “While our overall aim is to grow and generate sustained shareholder value, we can only be successful if we keep our employees and contractors safe, minimise our environmental impact and make a meaningful, positive impact on the local community.” SDGs: to-do list for people and planet As it prepares to commercialise the Bardoc Gold Project, the mining hopeful has volunteered to align its operations with several of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Designed as a global framework with an overarching aim to end extreme poverty, reduce inequality and protect the planet by 2030, the UN’s SDGs span sectors, geographies and cultures. In the context of Bardoc’s move to operation, 10 of the SDGs apply: The SDGs Bardoc has aligned with as it prepares to commission its namesake gold project. As a result, the company has used the SDGs as a yardstick in its inaugural ESG report to measure the strategies it has adopted as it works towards sustainable operation. In the ESG report, the company stated: “We endeavour to align our sustainability vision with that of the United Nation’s SDGs and their focus on the role of business and economic growth in supporting sustainable development.’ Bardoc’s environmental commitment So far, Bardoc has assessed the inherent and residual environmental risks associated with bringing Bardoc Gold into production. Within its evaluation, the company found 37 moderate and 26 low residual risks that comprise its environmental risk profile. Moving forward, Bardoc has vowed to continuously review the profile throughout the operations phase and seek to reduce risks wherever possible. Bardoc is also determined to implement an array of energy efficiency initiatives to reduce its carbon emissions at the WA gold asset. One strategy has the company considering two power generation options for its proposed operations — a natural gas/solar hybrid and a wholly natural gas alternative. Incorporating renewable energy sources within Bardoc’s power generation roadmap could further reduce the company’s emission, as charted below: Chart indicates potential carbon emissions with different types of energy production. Ultimately, the mining hopeful’s end goal is to become a responsible consumer of water and energy by leaning into innovative engineering designs. “Safety isn’t expensive, it’s priceless” While its business continues to grow, Bardoc has highlighted health and safety as a priority area within its developing operations. Speaking to Bardoc’s safety strategy, chief operating officer Andrew Francis said: “ Safety isn’t expensive, it’s priceless. The safety of our people is core to our business. “As we move to operations, we will build on our safety culture, further developing our systems to support our expanding workforce.” Bardoc hopes to continue the robust safety performance achieved in 2020, where zero fatalities, lost time or medical treatment injuries were recorded among over 30,000 hours of work at the gold project. In the future, the company also hopes to implement a safety management system with emergency response and incident control protocols and provide first aid training to all Bardoc personnel. Working as a responsible community member In addition to its environmental and safety commitments, Bardoc is determined to operate as a responsible community member that supports its workforce, stakeholders and Traditional Landowners. Across its own team, the ASX-lister is considering a range of initiatives, including an employee assistance program, apprenticeship, training and development opportunities, a graduate recruitment program and employment initiatives for Indigenous stakeholders. Back in 2020, the explorer provided $19,000 for sponsorship education programs that supported the Indigenous community. Anticipating the ramp-up to production, Bardoc undertook nine separate heritage surveys up to the end of 2020, with a further four surveys scheduled for 2021. Finally, the company is committed to financially supporting the community in which it operates. Last year, Bardoc invested $15 million procuring goods and services across the regional goldfields near its gold asset. And in 2021, that figure is set to rise by between $65 million and $80 million. Overall, Bardoc’s social commitments tie in with five of the United Nation’s SDGs, and the explorer has promised to continue to work towards aligning its operations with these goals. Where to from here? Over the next 12 months, Bardoc will move its namesake project into development. The company intends to kick off full commercial construction at the gold plant in the coming quarter, with the first gold pour to take place one year after that in 2022’s fourth quarter. Ultimately, the ESG report will form a critical framework as Bardoc makes key decisions to transition the project to producer status. Concluding his letter in the ESG report, Ryan said: “With these exciting milestones ahead, I am confident that the integrity of our baseline ESG reporting … will lay the foundations for strong and sustainable growth for Bardoc over many years to come.”