Modern Mining September 2019

Uis tin mine produces its first concentrate

which are in line with the project ramp-up and design specification of the plant. “We are delighted that our vision of bringing this historic mine back into produc- tion after almost thirty years of closure has taken a significant step forward,” comments Anthony Viljoen, CEO of AfriTin. “After only two years, AfriTin is still the only pure-play producing tin company on AIM and this can be attributed to the commitment and dedi- cation of the entire AfriTin team.” 

AfriTinMining, listed on AIM, has announced production of its first tin concentrate at its flagship Uis tin mine in Namibia. Tin production comes soon after the company announced the completion of the Phase 1 Pilot Plant on 26 July 2019 and that hot and cold commissioning were nearing completion ahead of production ramp-up. AfriTin will now focus on ramp- ing up the plant to its design capacity of 500 000 tonnes of ore per annum, which will produce approximately 60 tonnes of tin concentrate per month by the end of Q4-2019. The Uis deposit was discovered in 1911 with mining commencing in 1950. As a result of unfavourable market conditions at the time, the mine went into care and maintenance in the early 1990s and was then closed. This tin concentrate is the first produced since the closure of the mine and is an important milestone for the company as well as having a significantly positive impact on the community of Uis. AfriTin has also announced that it has

concluded an offtake agreement with Thailand Smelting and Refining Co, Limited (Thaisarco) for tin concentrate produced from the Uis mine. The one-year offtake agreement enables AfriTin to sell its tin concentrate and secure revenue for the next 12 months with an option to extend the contract. The offtake agreement speci- fies pre-agreed concentrate deliverables

The Uis pilot plant has produced its first concentrate (photo: AfriTin Mining).

September 2019  MODERN MINING  11