OPERATIONS
While a number of exploration companies in Africa are still looking to get
a foot in the door, the tin (Sn) processing plant at Bisie mine is close to
running at full tilt.
B
isie, located in the North Kivu Province of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was
commissioned in April 2019 and commercial
production got underway in September 2019. Since then,
the mine has been churning out close to 23 000 tonnes (t)
Run of Mine (RoM) ore per month.
Despite the relatively low tin price, several new targets in Africa
have been identified and the tin space has become pretty
congested as more junior
mining companies enter the
fray. However, up to now,
only Alphamin and AIM listed
AfriTin have managed to
deliver significant amounts
of tin concentrate to the
international market.
AfriTin produced first
concentrate from their Phase
1 pilot plant at the Uis deposit
in Namibia in August 2019.
The Uis deposit is vast but
at a grade of only 0.134%
the costs are exorbitant
and margins low. The ore
body is shallow though,
and the company hopes to
reign in operational costs by
developing several shallow
open cast pits.
www. africanmining.co.za
African Mining Publication
Other tin projects in Africa
ASX listed Kasbah Resources delivered a positive feasibility
study for the Achmmach tin project in Morocco in 2018 but the
project has been put on ice due to what the company refers to
as depressed market conditions.
Not much is known about the Manono project southeast
of Bisie and almost 500km north of Lubumbashi. The mine
is jointly owned by AVZ Minerals (60%), La Congolaise
D’exploitation Miniere (30%), and Dathomir Mining Resources
(10%). The contingency cost of the project is estimated to
be about USD36-million, and it will produce lithium and
tin. According to the company’s website, commissioning is
scheduled for the second quarter of 2020. Manono is a historic
mine where tin was produced between 1919 and 1982 but
with a grade of only 0.17%. The question is whether the mine
will be able to contain costs at a subdued tin price?
Several smaller, low grade tin deposits occur in parts of Nigeria
and in the Katanga Province of the DRC, but whether these
targets are worth developing depends entirely on supply and
demand and whether the tin price lifts its head.
Bisie’s exceptional grade
What sets Bisie apart from other mines in Africa, is the
phenomenal tin grade of 4.5%. Any grade too far below the
1% mark is not the ideal place for an exploration company
looking to bring a new mine into production, especially
when the tin price is below USD20 000 per tonne, or the
mine is at the wrong address with limited access
to infrastructure.
African Mining
African Mining April 2020
21