Modern Mining April 2018

MINING News

Graphite plant completes dry commissioning

ASX-listed Bass Metals has completed dry commissioning of the newly refurbished process plant at the Graphmada large flake graphite mine in eastern Madagascar. This critical milestone, it says, proves that the electricals and equipment in the plant, having now been fully tested, are ready for wet commissioning and subsequently the recommencement of production. Completion of Stage 1, post ramp up to 6 000 t/a run-rate, will provide positive cash flow from Graphmada and allow Bass to continue with its long-stated strategy of expanding production to 20 000 t/a (Stage 2) while aggressively drilling – in the back half of 2018 – the highly prospective Millie’s Reward lithium project. Completion of Stage 1 will also deliver to the company’s shareholders a 100 %-owned mine free of debt, with an offtake agreement in place, producing pre- mium large flake graphite concentrates at a time of rising prices. It will establish Bass as one of only two ASX-listed producers,

graphite products at Graphmada (Stage 3). The operating Graphmada mine was acquired by Bass in 2016 from StratMin Global Resources. 

and one of only four publicly listed graph- ite producers globally. Bass has also begun assessing the downstream development of expandable

Bass Metals has completed dry commissioning of the newly refurbished process plant at the Graphmada mine (photo: Bass Metals).

April 2018  MODERN MINING  13