Image said the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority had given approval to release the public environmental review for the project, which will allow wider stakeholders to examine the proposed mine.

The company is also processing secondary approvals for the project, saying all approvals will be in place by September if the process goes smoothly.

Plans to commence construction are two months later than previously scheduled after additional field work was required by the EPA for the draft public environmental review.

"First production and sales remain on track for first quarter of 2015, subject to regulatory approvals and project finance and offtake arrangements being in place," Image managing director Peter Davies said.

"This schedule will be reviewed as the project finance and environmental review processes advance."

The company's NPB project involves conventional dry mining with both wet and dry mineral sands processing.

The operation will initially focus on the high-grade Boonanarring deposit, just over an hour's drive from Perth.

The total resource at Boonanarring contains 1.7 million tonnes of heavy mineral sands at a 2.5% cut-off.

The environmental report will be issued on January 8 and provides for a five-week review period.

Image shares were steady at A14.5c this morning.