Modern Mining February 2018

MINING News

Gamsberg zinc project remains on track In its production and financial results for the third quarter ended 31 December 2017, Vedanta Resources says that the US$400 million Gamsberg zinc project in the Northern Cape is on track for first pro- duction in mid-CY2018, with a 9-12 month ramp up to full production of 250 kt/a of zinc in concentrate. Discovered more than 40 years ago and held undeveloped in the asset port- folios of various mining companies, Gamsberg was acquired from Anglo American by the Vedanta Group in 2011. Its development is well timed to feed into a global supply-demand gap and forms part of Vedanta’s commitment to the development of the region.

ABM starts on cobalt exploration in the DRC

AIM-quoted African Battery Metals (ABM) has begun the exploration programme at its recently acquired cobalt-copper proper- ties in the DRC. As announced in December 2017, ABM (previously Sula Iron and Gold) has acquired the rights to 70 % of a cobalt- copper licence in the DRC called Kisinka and an option over a second licence called Sakania. Kisinka, which is situated within 30 km of Lubumbashi, the regional capital, is close to seven existing large cobalt-copper mines and numerous small-scale opera- tions. It lies on the Roan, the geological sequence which hosts most of the DRC’s cobalt and copper, and is currently being mined by small-scale mining operations selling cobalt and copper concentrate to local smelters. A number of grab samples have been collected from the small-scale miners’ pits on the Kisinka cobalt licence by an inde- pendent geologist, who has reported grades of up to 2,5 % cobalt from a Niton XRF field analyser (the standard equipment used in the field for such analysis). The programme will also seek to con- firm the cobalt prospectivity of the second cobalt licence, Sakania, with a view to determining whether ABM should exercise its option. Roger Murphy, Chief Executive Officer of ABM, commented: “Our initiative into cobalt marks a significant step towards the company’s transition into the battery metals space. This is an area that is driven by an increasing global commitment to more efficient and environmentally sus- tainable energy usage, especially in the automotive industry.” 

The company says that 70 % of the pre- stripping has been completedwith a record 12,3 million tonnes of waste excavation in the quarter, in line with the plan. Some 500 kt of ore stockpile is targeted ahead of first feed. Construction of the concentrator is well underway, with the ball mill shell and crusher mechanical erection completed in Q3 FY2018. Power and water pipeline infra- structure is around 90 % complete. Cold commissioning of the concentrator plant is expected in Q1 FY2019.

Gamsberg has a large reserve and resource of 214 Mt, with an average grade of between 6 and 6,5 %, and an estimated life of mine (LOM) of 30 years. In Phase 1, which has a LOM of 13 years, 4 Mt/a of ore will be produced from Gamsberg’s open pit. The project, located about 30 km from Aggeneys, is being developed by Vedanta Zinc International ( VZI), part of the London-listed Vedanta Group. 

A recent view of the Gamsberg concentrator under construction (photo: Vedanta Zinc).

February 2018  MODERN MINING  9