African Mining March - April 2019 | Page 31

Project Kasbah looks at small-start option The ups and downs of the international tin market have been determining the fate of Kasbah Resources’ Achmmach Tin Project in Morocco. Edited by Leon Louw According to Russell Clark, CEO of Kasbah, Achmmach’s primary attraction is its advanced status. “The project has all major approvals in place and is one of the most advanced tin development projects in the world,” says Clark. In response to low tin prices, in mid-2017, KAS decided to revise the scale and the scope of Achmmach and is currently undertaking a definitive feasibility study (DFS) on a ‘small start’ lower-cape option, with the results expected to be released later on this year. KAS holds a 75% stake in the Achmmach project. Other partners are Toyota Tsusho Corporation (20%) and Nittetsu Mining (5%). The mine is about 140km south- east of the Moroccan capital of Rabat and consists of two exploitation permits (PE No. 2912 and PE No. 193172), which cover an aggregate area of 32km². The project was discovered by the Moroccan government agency, the Bureau des Recherches et de Participations Minières (BRPM), in 1985. BRPM explored Achmmach until 1992, subsequently completing more than 14 000m of diamond core drilling and excavating a shallow exploration shaft. KAS started exploration work at Achmmach in 2007, with the objective of S ince its listing on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) in 2007, Kasbah Resources’ (KAS’s) ambition has been to commercialise its Achmmach Tin Project in Morocco, but the company has battled against persistent tin price weaknesses. More recently, though, tin prices have finally begun to work in the company’s favour. The mine is about 140km south-east of the Moroccan capital of Rabat and consists of two exploitation permits (PE No. 2912 and PE No. 193172), which cover an aggregate area of 32km². www.africanmining.co.za MARCH - APRIL 2019 AFRICAN MINING 29