Global projects and exploration
Oman Savannah not home yet
Approvals for all eight of Savannah Resources’ permits at the Maqail South copper mining licence in Oman have been received, and seven for Mahab 4, another mining licence for a copper deposit in the Middle Eastern country. According to the AIM-listed company, approvals from the Ministry of Housing remain outstanding.
David Archer, CEO of Savannah, says that positive discussions are continuing with the Ministry of Housing in respect of the housing approvals. Savannah is a 65 % shareholder in the Omani company Al Fairuz Mining, the holder of the Block 5 licence that includes these two high-grade copper deposits.
The process for permitting mining activities in Oman is administered through the Public Authority for Mining( PAM). Upon submission of the mining licence application, approval( or no objection) is required from eight ministries and PAM for the licence to be granted.
Australia Longwall to shear coal in Queensland
Peabody Energy has ordered a complete Cat longwall mining system for its North Goonyella coal mine in central Queensland.
The Cat longwall system includes roof supports and a face conveyor for a 300m face, shearer, and beam stage loader. The system features advanced longwall automation technology to enhance safety and production. Delivery of the system is planned for the second quarter of 2019. The regional Cat dealer, Hastings Deering, will provide technical support for installation and commissioning of the longwall and will provide operational support going forward.
North Goonyella produces premium coking coal via a Cat longwall system, which was instrumental in achieving record production from the mine in 2017.
The decision to move to a new Cat system was driven by technological advances that enable automated shearer steering and face alignment, reduced exposure of operators to dust, and less maintenance.
The Cat EL3000 shearer for North Goonyella will be equipped with the proven Cat PMC Evo-S control system, intelligent software modules, and advanced measuring technology.
The automation package enables the shearer to be operated by a single operator using remote control. This package includes automation logic to minimise overload situations and diagnostic tools to maximise uptime.
Software tools and sensors in the gate ends and in the shield controllers enable advanced calculations for full 3-D navigation and an accurate floor profile calculation.
In total, the Cat automation package enhances safety and allows improved use of manpower, reduces coal dilution, enables faster haulage speeds, improves face management, and increases the life of all longwall equipment, including the face conveyor and roof supports.
Caterpillar will supply an efficient dust suppression system, designed using a holistic approach to mitigating operator dust exposure levels.
With thorough understanding of dust generation processes in longwall operations and details defining the operating environment, Caterpillar engineers will design a state-of-the-art dust suppression system for North Goonyella.
Additionally, Caterpillar has developed a corrosion protection strategy to improve resistance to corrosion and to minimise maintenance activities in the North Goonyella mine environment.
For example, the 153 new Cat roof supports will have specially coated rods used in the hydraulic legs, and susceptible components will be built from highly corrosion-resistant materials.
Germany Vital new cobalt exploration
ASX-listed Vital Metals has initiated a cobalt exploration programme at its Aue permit in Saxony, Germany, with a programme of field mapping and geochemical sampling. The Aue permit is in an area of important historical cobalt production, neighbouring the Schneeberg Mine, which is estimated to have produced over 12 000 tonnes of cobalt ore.
According to Mark Strizek, the MD at Vital Metals, there are five small-scale historical mines on the Aue permit area. These deposits have biconi veins of the type mined at Schneeberg, which produced high-grade ore of between 1 % and 3 % contained cobalt. Strizek says that previous East German exploration focused on uranium and tungsten, and the permit has not been explored for cobalt using modern exploration techniques.
The Aue project is in the Erzgebirge region of Germany. The area has a rich history of cobalt production, with mining occurring from the 16th century through to the late 1930s.
Cobalt production came firstly as a by-product from silver mining and later in dedicated mining operations. The mines fed the numerous cobalt blue factories in the area producing blue porcelain and glass.
One of the better-known historical mines was Schneeberg, located 4km north-northwest of the Aue permit. Historical production is estimated at 12 000 tonnes of cobalt and nickel metal from mainly hand-picked ore. This ore is believed to grade between 1 % and 3 % cobalt won from biconi( Ag-U) veins containing cobalt and nickel arsenides( skutterudite, rammelsbergite) and native bismuth.
Government geological maps and mining records show that there were at least five historical mines on Vital’ s Aue permit, where mining took place on biconi veins of the type mined at Schneeberg during this period.
[ 8 ] MINING MIRROR MAY 2018