BUNYU PROJECT : TANZANIA GOVERNMENT MINISTERS , COMMUNITY AND VOLT MEET
CONSTRUCTION FUNDING SECURED FOR SWANSON TANTALUM PROJECT
• PROJECTS AND EXPLORATION
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BUNYU PROJECT : TANZANIA GOVERNMENT MINISTERS , COMMUNITY AND VOLT MEET
Location : Tanzania Phase : Development Resource : Graphite
At the end of June , development graphite producer and natural graphite anode developer Volt Resources Limited announced that it had met with the Tanzanian minister for Minerals , the honourable Dr Dotto Mashaka Biteko , and the minister for Information , Communications and Information Technology , the honourable Nape Nnauye , who is also a local member of parliament at the Namangale village , adjacent to the Bunyu Project area .
Also in attendance were senior mineral and communication ministerial officials and officials from the Tanzanian Mining Commission , the district commissioner and village leadership .
The focus of the meeting was the development of the Stage 1 Bunyu graphite project which included discussion on :
• The status and planned update later this year of the Resettlement Action Plan ( RAP ) and associated plans for compensation payments to people affected by the mine development . The main objective of the RAP is to provide an agreed plan for the resettlement and compensation of communities and individuals affected by the proposed project to be implemented in Utimbula , Namangale , and Namangale B villages of the Lindi Region .
• The Stage 1 Feasibility Study update . With cost escalation across the resources sector well documented , the company is engaged in detailed reviews of capital and operating costs , selection of graphite market reports including graphite price forecasts , and financial model outcomes .
• Commencement of negotiations for the Framework and Shareholder Agreements incorporated in the Mining State Participation Regulations issued late last year . These agreements define the basis for the Tanzanian Government ’ s 16 % Free Carried Interest in mineral projects and is a precursor for mine development .
The construction of a Volt project office and sample storage facility at Namangale , and contribution of building materials for school building modifications and the addition of a maternity care unit at the village health centre were also announced by Volt management at the meeting . These activities were positively received by the Tanzanian government officials and community members .
CONSTRUCTION FUNDING SECURED FOR SWANSON TANTALUM PROJECT
Location : Namibia Phase : Construction Resource : Tantalum
At the end of May this year Arcadia Minerals Ltd , the diversified battery metals exploration company targeting a suite of projects aimed at tantalum , lithium ( clays , brines and hard rock ), nickel , copper and gold in Namibia , announced that Orange River Pegmatite ( Pty ) Ltd ( ORP ), of which Arcadia owns 80 % of the issued shares , has entered into a subscription agreement with HeBei in terms of which HeBei is to put the Swanson Project into a steady state of production in return for newly issued ORP shares equal to 38 % of the issued share capital of ORP ( subscription shares ).
Jurie Wessels , the executive chairman of Arcadia stated : “ As announced on 28 November 2022 , the company entered negotiations with HeBei . We are very pleased negotiations are concluded , and that the company will be joining forces with HeBei on the development of the Swanson Project . Over the final months of negotiations and site visits we ’ ve been able to forge a mutually beneficial understanding with the principals of HeBei , which bodes well for successful completion of construction . In addition , the synergies that may arise from working with our neighbour , who also owns the nearby Homestead Tantalite Mine , are expected to open other opportunities for Hebei and Arcadia in the area , including off-take discussions with several off-take parties with respect to the initial production capacity of the Swanson Project . Furthermore , the transaction does not affect Arcadia ’ s 80 % ownership of EPL 5047 and 7295 where Arcadia will continue to explore for mineralised pegmatites and conduct work in relation to its Kum-Kum Nickel and PGE project . As the MGS plant is designed to receive 20 000mt of
The synergies that may arise are expected to open other opportunities for Hebei and Arcadia in the area , including off-take discussions with several off-take parties with respect to the initial production capacity of the Swanson Project .
10 • African Mining • October 2023 www . africanmining . co . za