African Mining November 2021 | Page 15

PROJECTS AND EXPLORATION • loaded onto trucks ( either bulk for the Lualaba Smelter or in bags for international markets ) and the concentrate backlog at the mine site has been cleared

According to Steve Amos , Kamoa Copper ' s head of projects the hot commissioning and ramp-up of the Phase 1 concentrator plant is going very well , with no significant issues encountered to date .

“ Fast tracking of an additional concentrate filter will enable us to produce more concentrate and take advantage of the exceptional ore grades coming from the Kakula Mine , as well as any additional milling throughput in excess of design capacity . A third concentrate filter is being procured and will be incorporated into the Phase 2 plant .

Copper recoveries improved to an average of 83 % during August , with recoveries in excess of 86 % achieved on multiple occasions . The Phase 1 , steady-state-design copper recovery is approximately 86 %,” says Amos .

Ivanhoe ' s production guidance for contained copper in concentrate at Kamoa-Kakula in 2021 is 80 000 to 95 000 tonnes . The figures are on a 100 % -project basis and metal reported in concentrate is prior to refining losses or deductions associated with smelter terms . The guidance assumes ramp-up from first production continues in line with published technical disclosures .

Daily concentrate grades in excess of the steady-state-design grade of approximately 57 % copper also have been achieved on several occasions , with the monthly average exceeding 48 % copper . The current focus of the commissioning team is on balancing and optimising the flotation and regrind milling areas . This work is expected to further improve the consistency of concentrate grade and copper recoveries .

Commissioning and operation of the concentrator plant ' s regrind mills is well underway . The regrind mills are the final pieces of equipment to be commissioned in the Phase 1 concentrator .

Kamoa-Kakula is fast tracking the installation of an additional concentrate filter , which already has been delivered to the mine site , to be able to take advantage of copper feed grades and milling rates in excess of design parameters . The additional concentrate filter is expected to be installed by the end of October 2021 , enabling the Phase 1 concentrator to produce more copper than its design capacity of approximately 200,000 tonnes per year .

national service placements . Over 90 % of its staff are Ghanaian . As part of the Asante strategy , Harlequin will continue to focus on building local competence . To this end , the project is expected to employ up to 300 people , including sub-contractors , over its 9-month duration . Asante anticipates that the Process Plant Refurbishment Project will be complete in June 2022 .

• Location : Ghana

• Phase : Production

• Resource : Gold

Local Ghanaian company Harlequin International ( Ghana ) has been appointed to refurbish Asante Gold ’ s processing plant at its Bibiani mine in Ghana .

Harlequin is based in Takoradi , Ghana . Since 1998 Harlequin has become a byword for quality in heavy industry within Ghana and internationally . Harlequin practices recognised standards for construction , fabrication , and maintenance and was recently recognised as the Best Specialist Engineering Services Firm 2020 , West Africa . It also received the Distinction Award for Component Manufacturing and Fabrication 2020 at the African Business Excellence Awards .

Harlequin has created employment in its local communities by providing opportunities for graduates through internship /

“ I am impressed by the quality of people , resources and record of success in the mining business that Harlequin brings to this project . Asante looks forward to working with Harlequin and all our project partners , towards a safe and successful project execution . Work has already commenced on site . Design and planning initiatives for other aspects of the Bibiani Mine Development Project continue to advance in accordance with our previous communications ,” says Douglas MacQuarrie , President and CEO at Asante .

Asante is a pure gold exploration and development company with a high-quality portfolio of projects in Ghana , Africa ’ s largest and safest gold producer . Asante is focused on developing high margin gold projects including the Bibiani and Kubi Gold mines located on the prolific Bibiani and Ashanti Gold Belts .

Bibiani is a historically significant Ghanaian gold mine situated in the western region of the country . Bibiani has previous production of 4Moz , is fully permitted with available mining and processing infrastructure on site consisting of a 3 million tonne per annum mill and processing plant , and existing underground mining infrastructure .

In July 2018 , Resolute Mining , the former owner of the Bibiani Mine , based on some 50 500 metres of drilling , released an updated feasibility study for Bibiani and published JORC compliant Mineral Resources of 21.7 million tonnes at 3.6 grams of gold per tonne for 2.5Moz of gold . •