UPDATE 1-Australian state sees safe export of Magellan lead

(Adds comment from EPA minister's office)

SYDNEY, Dec 10 (Reuters) - An Australian state environmental body said on Monday that Ivernia Inc's (IVW.TO: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) plan to export lead through Fremantle port was unlikely to cause any safety issues, though a final decision is at least two weeks away.

In advice to the Western Australia state government, the state's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it was unlikely the EPA's objectives would be compromised under plans to ship the hazardous material in sealed containers from the mine site.

Ivernia has been seeking an alternative port to export lead from the Magellan mine in the Australian outback after another port in the state, Esperance, blocked further shipments due to health concerns, forcing the mine to close.

The closure has pinched world supplies and underpinned big gains in prices for lead, needed in battery manufacturing.

EPA Chairman Paul Vogel said the management of lead emissions at the mine site, along the transport route through the outback and at the Port of Fremantle, were the main issues looked at by the EPA.

"An accredited independent inspector will ensure that there is no fugitive lead dust on the outside surfaces of both the bulk bags and the shipping containers prior to leaving the mine site," Vogel said in an EPA statement.

A final decision on whether Fremantle port will allow the lead shipments will be made by the state environment minister, David Templeman.

A decision could not be made until a two-week appeal period is concluded, and even then the minister is under no time constraints to decide, a spokeswoman for the minister told Reuters.