Modern Mining June 2018

WEST AFRICA

Above: A recent view of the Wahgnion site, where construction of the newmine is now underway. Right: A drill site at Waghnion. A 73 000-m infill drill pro- gramme was completed in 2017. the Sabodala mine, with multiple near-surface pits feeding the processing plant. The process plant – which is modelled on the Sabodala facility – will be located adja- cent to the Nogbele deposit, which contains approximately 50 % of the initial reserves. The Fourkoura, Stinger and Samavogo deposits are located 6, 15, and 25 km, respectively, from the process plant. The haul trucks selected have the ability to haul ore directly to the plant. This is expected to reduce re-handling costs and mini- mise waste movement through optimised pit designs for the near-surface orebodies. The process plant design is based on a con- ventional CIL gold process flowsheet consisting of primary crushing, SAG and ball milling, with a pebble crusher, CIL tanks, elution, electro- winning and gold smelting to produce doré on site. Throughput is expected to range between 2,2 and 2,5 Mt/a, depending on the blend of soft and hard ore. The average predicted plant recovery is 92 %, with soft material recoveries from some zones reaching as high as 95 %. The tailings storage facility (TSF) will be developed as a high-density polyethylene geomembrane-lined paddock type facility in a two-cell arrangement. The TSF embankments will be constructed in annual raises to suit storage requirements, using downstream raise construction methods. Wahgnion will produce 131 koz/a in its initial 5,5 years at an AISC of US$807/oz and 119 koz/a at an AISC of US$843/oz over the nine-year mine life. The pre-production capex is US$232 million. According to Teranga, transport and logistics

for mining projects in the region are well- established with 11 mines having been built in Burkina Faso within the past decade. Beyond the initial four deposits included in the feasibility study, there are over a dozen other priority targets in Teranga’s regional land package. Photos courtesy of Teranga

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June 2018  MODERN MINING  37