Kombat on the verge of re-opening after positive assessment of resources
Trigon Metals announced last week an updated mineral resource estimate for the Kombat Mine of 6.26 million tonnes at 2.97% copper grading, 1.00% lead and 20.99 g/t silver, at a cut-off grade of 0.77% copper. The Kombat Mine is situated near Otavi in the southern section of the Otavi Valley between Otavi and Grootfontein.
The company said in a statement it intends to make use of the extensive existing infrastructure to bring the Kombat Mine back into production, both in terms of the near-term surface mining and ultimately the underground operations.
President and CEO of Trigon, Stephan Theron said that the updated mineral resource numbers have met expectations and provide management with a substantial base from which to grow Trigon into a mid-tier producer.
According to Trigon, the updated Mineral Resource Estimate has been defined using the existing historic surface and underground drill holes. The new estimate is therefore valid for both the open-pit section as well as the undergrond portion.
Trigon’s management believes there is potential to find additional copper deposits at depth which will be explored through further detailed surface and underground drilling, particularly below the Asis West mineralization.
The section between the Asis West and Asis Far West, known as the Asis Gap area, has been modelled with the current database and a zone of copper deposits is included in the Updated Mineral Resource Estimate.
In addition to this, the model also indicates there is potential for a down dip extension of the Asis West mineralised zone. Lateral potential also exists at Asis West and this target could possibly be accessed.
“We are pleased to have achieved this early stage milestone, and look forward to reporting progress on the implementation of the first phase of our strategic plan for near-term surface mining,” Theron said.
The Kombat Mine is Trigon’s flagship property, having produced in excess of 12 million tonnes at a grade of 2.62% copper, 1.55% lead and 18 g/t silver between 1962 and 2008.
The updated Mineral Resource Estimate covers all proposed current and historical mining areas at the Kombat Mine. Theron said this provides them with various options in terms of strategic planning. The preliminary economic assessment currently undertaken will provide an indication of the economic viability of various mining alternatives.
The company’s near-term plan remains to focus on surface resources in the Kombat Central and East areas and to commence with surface mining to facilitate early cash flow generation.
The previous mineral resource estimate as at 20 May 2014 only covered the Asis Far West area, representing a very limited section of the Kombat Mine’s potential. The Kombat Mine assets, Theron said, form a solid foundation for growth and creation of shareholder value, with near term production plans underway.
Caption: The illustrated table is a summary of the Updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the Kombat Mine as at 19 April 2017.
