PROJECTS AND EXPLORATION •
• Location: Burkina Faso
• Phase: Development
• Mineral: Gold
• Location: Mali
• Phase: Expansion
• Mineral: Gold
The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for
Orezone Gold Corporation’s phase II Bomboré gold project in
Burkina Faso has been approved by the Burkina Faso Ministry
of Environment and Sustainable Development.
The approval marks a significant milestone in the permitting
process and solidifies the staged development timeline of the
Bomboré project.
Bomboré was the subject of an updated feasibility study in
2019 that incorporated a staged higher-grade expansion
(Phase II expansion) to the oxide-only mine plan in the 2018
feasibility study.
The Phase II expansion incorporates select zones of highergrade
fresh rock and lower transition reserves, the high-grade
P17S deposit, and the previously excluded seasonal flood plain
oxides. With this mine expansion, the 2019 FS highlighted a
60% increase in mineral reserves to 1.8 million gold ounces
along with significantly improved project economics as
compared to the 2018 FS.
According to Patrick Downey, president and CEO of Orezone,
the approval is another important step in realising the upside
potential at Bomboré. Downey adds that the ESIA review was
a rigorous process that involved comprehensive examinations
by technical committees of the permitting bodies and formal
public hearings.
With the approval of the ESIA, the Company has now filed an
application to include the planned expansion, which will be
the final step in the permitting process. A decision regarding
the expansion from the Burkina Faso government is expected
in quarter three of 2020.
• Type of mine: Open pit gold
• Production: Average 117 760 ounces per year (oz/
year)
• Throughput: 5.2mtpa (3.0mtpa oxide circuit – 2.2mtpa
sulphide circuit)
• Reserves: 1.8Moz @0.81g/t gold P&P
• Resources: 5.1Moz @ 0.69g/t gold M&I (inclusive of
reserves)
London company Altus Strategies has appointed independent
consulting firm Mining Plus UK to update the historic resource
and complete a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for
an open pit oxide gold mine at the company’s Diba project in
western Mali.
Diba is about 13km south of the multi-million-ounce Sadiola
gold mine, in the Kenieba Window Gold belt in the west of Mali.
Drill results after the historic resource include 5.36 g/t Au over
13m and 9.60 g/t Au over 8m.
Diba hosts a historical near surface gold resource of 6 348 000
tonnes at 1.35 g/t Au for 275 200 ounces in the Indicated
category and 720 000 tonnes at 1.40 g/t Au for 32 500 ounces in
the Inferred category based on a 0.5 g/t Au cut-off grade.
According to Steven Poulton, CEO of Altus, at least six further
priority prospects have yet to be drill tested at Diba. “The Diba
gold project hosts a near surface and shallow dipping historic
resource, about 13km south of Sadiola gold mine and 5km west
of the company’s Lakanfla gold project, which is the subject of a
joint venture with Glomin Services,” says Poulton.
• Location: South Africa
• Phase: Production
• Mineral: Manganese
While the South African Covid-19 lockdown was still in full force
in April, one of the country’s successful manganese projects got
permission to partially restart its mine. ASX listed Jupiter Mines,
owner of South African company Tshipi é Ntle Manganese
Mining, got approval from the South Africa government to
partially restart its Tshipi Borwa managenese mine in the
Northern Cape Province of South Africa.
According to Priyank Thapliyal, director and CEO at Jupiter
Mines, management worked with contractors, suppliers
and Transnet to coordinate the partial recommencement of
production and exports. Tshipi Borwa is an open-cut mining
operation located north of Kumba’s Sushen iron ore mine, and
adjacent to South 32’s Mamatwan mine. Tshipi exported about
3.51 million tonnes of manganese in 2019.
www. africanmining.co.za
African Mining Publication
African Mining
African Mining • May 2020 • 5