Bannerman demo plant completion set for March

Bannerman Resources, the Australian company driving one of four new uranium projects in Namibia this week reported that construction activities at the Etango Heap Leach Demonstration Plant are on track and scheduled to be completed next month.
Last year in September, Bannerman announced the award of the major contracts to construct and operate the Etango Heap Leach Demonstration Plant, to companies that included Gecko Construction, Refraline SA Industrial Linings, and Aquatan Lining Systems.
“Activities at the site commenced in early October 2014 and construction is on schedule for completion in March 2015,” Bannerman said.

According to Bannerman, the progress to date includes completion of the primary, secondary and tertiary crushing of 3,300 tonnes of ore and waste, rehabilitation of the areas where the ore and waste rock samples were sourced from, civil construction of the four cribs and plinths to support the agglomerator and feed conveyors, casting of the reagent mixing area including the acid proofing of the concrete foundation and the two evaporation ponds.
Meanwhile Bannerman said that the key components that are still under construction include the water, acid and electrical reticulation systems and the installation of the crib access steps and walkway to the agglomerator and ore feed conveyor system.
Bannerman´s chief executive officer, Len Jubber, said, “the construction of the demonstration plant has generated significant interest from all major stakeholders and is widely recognised as a clear sign of our commitment to develop the Etango project in a higher uranium price environment.”
“The timing of the first test results in the June 2015 quarter coincides well with the growing awareness of the looming supply deficit,” added Jubber.
“Bannerman´s advancing Etango Project remains one of the very few globally significant uranium projects that can realistically be brought into production in the medium term,” he said.
The demonstration plant will operate for at least 12 months, enabling the demonstration of the heap leach design to a larger audience of investors and financiers.