Global projects and exploration
Australia Jack Trend ’ s new drill targets
New drill and rock chip assays and ground gravity data have identified new drill targets along the Welcome Jack Trend , located 1.5km east of the Commonwealth-Silica Hill area at gold miner Impact Minerals ’ Commonwealth Project , 100km north of Orange in New South Wales , Australia . According to an announcement by the company , these drill targets will be tested as part of an upcoming drill programme that will also follow up on exceptional gold and silver results recently returned from the Silica Hill Prospect . The drill programme should commence by late June , subject to approvals .
Australia Fortescue kick-starts autonomous mining
Fortescue Metals Group ’ s first haul trucks fitted with autonomous haulage system ( AHS ) technology as part of its current expansion are now operating at the Christmas Creek site in the Pilbara . The conversion of 100 haul trucks at the Chichester Hub will see Fortescue become the first iron ore operation in the world to have a fully autonomous fleet .
AHS trucks have moved more than half a billion tonnes of material for Fortescue since they were introduced at the Solomon Hub in 2013 , delivering a productivity increase of more than 30 % for the company .
According to Elizabeth Gaines , CEO of Fortescue , the company has a proud history of embracing leading-edge technology to ensure it remains at the lowest end of the global cost curve . “ Innovation and technology are fundamental to driving sustained productivity and efficiency improvements across the business , ensuring we continue to deliver returns for our shareholders and key stakeholders ,” says Gaines .
“ Most importantly , the introduction of AHS technology is leading to improved safety outcomes by significantly reducing the risk to our team members ,” Gaines added .
Source : Australian Mining
Australia Magmatic ’ s expansion continues
ASX-listed Magmatic Resources has further diversified and grown its project portfolio through the acquisition of two prospective gold exploration licences 150km north-east of Laverton in Western Australia , within the proven Yamarna greenstone belt .
According to David Richardson , MD at Magmatic , the addition of the Yamarna Gold Project is in line with the company ’ s acquisition and evaluation strategy being applied to its advanced exploration portfolio in New South Wales . “ Both the Yamarna project and separate acquisition of the Mount Venn Copper-Nickel- Cobalt Project , just 40km to the west , are located in proven mineralised districts and are targeting gold and growth commodities ,” says Richardson .
The 252km ² Yamarna project area is situated just 15km north-west of the Gruyere (~ 6Moz ) gold mine , currently under construction by major gold miner Gold Fields and its joint venture partner Gold Road Resources , which made the initial Gruyere discovery . Gold Fields owns 20 % of Magmatic .
Mexico High-value lithium expected at Sonora
Canadian company Bacanora Minerals has provided an update on its activities at the company ’ s flagship Sonora Lithium Project in Mexico . Bacanora ’ s objective is to start the construction of a 35 000 tonne per annum ( tpa ) lithium carbonate operation at Sonora in 2018 , targeting first production in 2020 .
A recently completed feasibility study ( FS ) demonstrated Sonora ' s potential to become a leading supplier of high-value lithium products to fast-growing industries , such as electric vehicles and energy storage . The FS demonstrated strong economics of USD1.25-billion NPV ; 26.1 % IRR ; and life of mine gross operating costs of USD3 910 / t Li₂CO₃ , which are comparable to those of the low-cost brine producers of South America .
Design of both the roaster / kiln front-end engineering design ( FEED ) and the crystalliser / evaporation / IX FEED has commenced , following the delivery of bulk lithium samples from Sonora to selected vendors . These two equipment packages are expected to comprise about 75 % of the total capital cost of the processing plant .
Bacanora is in detailed contract discussions with EPC / EPCM engineering groups for all other parts of the processing plant to finalise the project cost and to complete budget and timetables in conjunction with completion of the FEED engineering packages .
The current FEED schedule is to have designs , cost estimates , and process guarantee scopes completed in quarter two of 2018 , with orders for long lead items being placed at the end of the FEED process . The current timetable is based on commissioning and lithium carbonate production commencing in quarter one of 2020 and will be updated at the end of the FEED process .
Brazil Anglo suspends work at Minas-Rio
Global mining giant Anglo American announced that it has suspended operations at its Minas-Rio iron ore operation in Brazil for about three months . According to an announcement by the company , it has to conduct a full inspection of the pipeline that carries iron ore , in slurry form , from the mine to the export terminal .
Minas-Rio took the decision to suspend the operation following a minor leak that was identified
[ 8 ] MINING MIRROR JUNE 2018