A gold company says it has received ministerial approval to open a fourth mine in the La Ronge Gold Belt.

Golden Band Resources says it still has to apply for the applicable construction and operational permits and licenses for the open pit Golden Heart mine project.

While in commercial production, the company says there will be roughly 25 full-time jobs at the Golden Heart mine during its planned four-year life.

The Golden Heart Project is located roughly 10 kilometres northeast of Brabant Lake.

Mining is already underway at the company’s underground Roy Lloyd and open pit EP mines, and planning is underway for another mine at its Komis deposit.

The ore from the Golden Heart mine will be processed at Golden Band’s Jolu mill, which began operation in January 2011.

An Environmental Impact Statement commissioned by the company concluded that “any adverse environmental effects associated with the Golden Heart project could be eliminated or minimized”.