AfriTin completes detailed mine design – construction to start in May
Mining company with the flagship asse, Uis Tin Mine, AfriTin Mining Limited this week in a press statement said it has completed a detailed mine design over the priority, V1/V2 pegmatites.
Following the completion of a mapping programme and construction of a 3-D geological model the Company has undertaken a detailed mine design for the V1 and V2 pegmatite bodies, previously identified as priority targets to supply feed to the new intermediary processing plant. The mine design includes an initial 5-year mine production schedule to commence operations on the outcropping pegmatite bodies and existing excavations of the historical V1/V2 pits.
This internal mine plan supports an overburden stripping ratio of less than 1 (overburden-to-ore ratio) and a fast ramp-up profile utilising conventional open pit mining methods. Material will be liberated through drilling and blasting; loading and hauling will be effected by combining excavators and articulated dump trucks. The run-of-mine feed to the Plant for this phase of development is planned at 500,000 tonnes per year with an anticipated annual production of 800 tonnes of saleable tin concentrate (although at this stage, this rate is not guaranteed). The target for the following phase remains 5,000 tonnes of tin concentrate per annum.
A plant location has been identified in close proximity to the V1/V2 pegmatite bodies. The site layout and project infrastructure is being finalised and earthworks and civil works construction are scheduled to commence during May 2018 with production on track for H2 2018.
Commenting on the developments CEO Anthony Viljoen said, “We are very pleased with the results of this early production phase Mine Design work that has recently been completed. Once operational we believe this will confirm the potential of the Uis Project as a world-class tin mine with low operational risks.”
“Whilst we believe Uis has the resources to be a long-life operation, this phased approach, should provide a platform for sustainable early cash flows. It should also de-risk the implementation of a larger scale mining and processing facility which in turn should allow us to progress long term project financing options,” he added.
Meanwhile, Viljoen said that they remain excited about the project progression and the long-term opportunity that AfriTin provides to investors in the world tin market.
