Modern Mining August 2023

MINING News

NextSource Materials achieves first production of SuperFlake ® graphite at Molo mine

Scandinavian-based Ethiopian gold miner, Akobo Minerals AB, has appointed Helge Rushfeldt to Akobo Minerals’ executive management group from 1 st of July as head of mining operations. With more than 20 years of experience with the Norwegian mining industry, Rushfeldt brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the Akobo team as it transitions from development to production. Rushfeldt has been a consul tant to the Norwegian mining and minerals industry for the past 10 years. He has also worked at many of Norway’s major mines and mineral processing facilities includ ing Titania AS, Norwegian Talc AS and Hustadmarmor AS. His scope of activity has ranged from production management to exploration projects via financing towards production.  Akobo Minerals appoints Helge Rushfeldt as head of mining operations

of 17 000 tonnes per annum. The company expects to sell all the flake graphite produced at the Molo Graphite Mine to key customers under existing off take agreements. CEO, Craig Scherba, commented: “As we ramp up the production stage of operations, the company is in the enviable position of transitioning into a significant and sustainable global producer of high quality graphite and anode material just as demand for their use in lithium-ion batteries is growing exponentially.” 

TSX-listed NextSource Materials has announced the first production of SuperFlake® graphite concentrate at its Molo mine in Madagascar. As part of the commissioning and optimisation of the processing plant, the commissioning sequence was priori tised for initial production of coarse flake concentrate, with the first tonne of produc tion consisting of +48 mesh (jumbo size) SuperFlake® graphite. The operations team will now shift its focus to ramping up the plant throughput to its nameplate capacity

Molo mine workforce alongside first tonne of SuperFlake ® graphite concentrate.

De Beers and Botswana agree in principle on sales agreement and mining licences

Debswana operates four diamond mines in Botswana and is a 50:50 joint venture between De Beers and the Government of Botswana. De Beers and the Government of Botswana will work together to progress and implement the formal new sales agreement and mining licences. In the interim, the terms of the most recent sales agreement (which expired on 30 June) will remain in place. 

Diversified miner, Anglo American, has announced that De Beers Group and the

Government of the Republic of Botswana have reached an agreement in principle on a new 10-year sales agreement for Debswana’s rough diamond production (through to 2033) and a 25-year extension of the Debswana mining licences (through to 2054).

Akobo Minerals mining operations.

4  MODERN MINING  August 2023