6Meaning of mining operations

6 Meaning of mining operations

(1)  In this Act, mining operations includes any activity associated with the following:

(a) the exploration for minerals involving the mechanical disturbance of the ground;

(ab) [Section 6 Subsection (1) amended by No. 39 of 2020, s. 7, Applied:27 Dec 2020] the preparation, development, construction or maintenance of a site where an activity referred to in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) is intended to occur, including the construction of infrastructure to be used in such an activity;

(b) the extraction or excavation of minerals, or other material containing minerals, from the ground;

(c) the following activities undertaken on the same site, adjacent to, or as part of, a continuous process of extraction:

(i) the preparation or processing of extracted or excavated material, ore, minerals, tailings, spoil heaps or waste dumps including crushing, grinding, sizing, washing, concentrating, separating, smelting and refining;

(ii) the extraction, excavation, removal, handling, transport and storage of minerals, substances, contaminants and waste;

(iii) the construction, operation, maintenance and removal of plant and buildings;

(d) [Section 6 Subsection (1) amended by No. 39 of 2020, s. 7, Applied:27 Dec 2020] [Section 6 Subsection (1) amended by No. 39 of 2020, s. 7, Applied:27 Dec 2020] the decommissioning, rehabilitation, security, repair or maintenance of a place at which an activity referred to in paragraph (a) , (ab) , (b) or (c) occurs or has occurred;

(da) [Section 6 Subsection (1) amended by No. 39 of 2020, s. 7, Applied:27 Dec 2020] any other activity, or operation, prescribed as a mining operation;