Modern Mining February 2019

MINING News

DRC cobalt producer joins the Cobalt Institute

The Cobalt Institute (CI) reports it has wel- comed Metalkol RTR as a new member. Metalkol RTR is a major reprocessing plant for historic cobalt and copper tailings from previous mining operations in the Haut- Katanga Province of the DRC. A hydro-metallurgical facility owned by Eurasian Resources Group (ERG), Metalkol RTR is reportedly set to become one of the most significant producers of clean cobalt globally. At full capacity, it will be able to supply over 120 kt/a of copper cathode and 24 kt/a of cobalt, volumes sufficient to build more than three million electric vehicles per year. The project is currently nearing completion. The Cobalt Institute is a non-profit trade association composed of producers, users, recyclers and traders of cobalt; it promotes the sustainable and responsible produc- tion and use of cobalt in all its forms. According to its website, the CI – which is based in the UK – is a proactive organ- isation which represents around 70 % of

The Metalkol RTR reprocessing plant near Kolwezi in the DRC. cobalt produced worldwide and has over 60 years of experience identifying and

addressing issues of key interest for the cobalt industry sector. 

Consultants appointed for Sanankoro test work Cora Gold Limited, theWest African focused gold exploration company, has appointed Wardell Armstrong International (WAI) as independent consultants to under- take a preliminary metallurgical test work programme. The programme has been designed to assess the amenability for cya- nide leach extraction of gold from oxide mineralisation at Cora’s Sanankoro gold discovery in southern Mali, which has an Exploration Target of 1-2 million ounces of gold with significant upside as inde- pendently determined by consultants SRK Consulting (UK). The test work, which will consider both

Jonathan Forster, Cora Gold’s CEO. “This programme is running in parallel with a drill programme, already underway, that is aimed at outlining areas of higher grade that may present potential starter pits for any future mining project. “Indications fromSRK’s ExplorationTarget Report that there is significant potential for oxide mineralisation at Sanankoro has guided our exploration programme which is currently focused on the exciting oxide potential at Sanankoro. We are delighted to kick off the year with an active work pro- gramme and I look forward to reporting the results of the metallurgical test work tar- geted for Q2-2019, as well as drill results as and when they become available.” 

cyanide-in-leach and heap leach gold extraction technologies, will be conducted at WAI’s laboratory facilities in the UK and will use two composite samples of approxi- mately 80 kg weight each that have been recently collected from core holes drilled at the ‘Zone A’ and ‘Selin’ prospect areas at Sanankoro. Results are expected during Q2-2019. “We are pleased to appoint WAI as our independent consultants for this prelimi- nary metallurgical test work programme which is intended to provide initial guid- ance on methodology for future potential gold extraction at Sanankoro,” comments

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