Mining at Magellan Metals Pty Ltd's Wiluna lead mine in Western Australia will not resume until at least early next year.
Magellan's parent company, Ivernia Ltd, said in its second quarterly report that a restart of operations will not commence until about four months after final government approval has been received.
In April last year mining operations were placed on care and maintenance after lead shipments were suspended a month earlier after lead dust was found in resident's blood stream and the cause of thousands of birds dying in the Esperance region.
Magellan was the only company exporting lead from the Esperance port, and used to supply about three per cent of the world's lead consumption.
The company is waiting on ministerial approval for lead to be shipped out through a newly-developed sealed process through the Port of Fremantle.
The state government has imposed a raft of additional conditions on Magellanin January this year.
"The company anticipates that once final Ministerial sign-off is received, export of the lead concentrate stockpile at mine site will take several months to complete as the logistics of the sealed shipment process are perfected," Ivernia said.
"The company anticipates it will take about four months from re-start to achieve normal operations."
Ivernia added that final plans, incorporating all required changes imposed earlier this year, will be submitted in the near future to the state's environment minister, clearing the way for formal approval.
"We recognise it has been a long process but our future method of shipment is completely different and requires substantial review, planning and high-level approval," Ivernia president Alan De'ath said.
"We believe we are on the home stretch and every effort is being made to complete this in the most efficient and timely manner."
