Anvil Mining (AVM-T) is revising its development plans at its Kulumaziba copper project in southeast Democratic Republic of Congo after determining the copper resource is larger than previously thought.
The inferred mineral resource is 1.5 million tonnes grading 6.8% copper. This estimate covers the first seven-and-a-half km of the deposit to a depth of three metres.
The copper grade was cut to 11.5%.
The first kilometre had an inferred resource of 285,000 tonnes grading 8.9% copper, the second km contained 365,000 tonnes grading 7.5% copper and the third km contained a volume of 280,000 tonnes grading 6.1% copper.
The estimated tonnage used a depth of three metres because sampling was consistent to this depth. The actual depth of the deposit ranges up to 6.8 metres.
The Kulumaziba coarse rejects/tailings were deposited over a 27-year period while the Mutoshi mine washing plant operated. Rejects were discharged over the Kulumaziba river-plain; the deposit widens downstream.
Rather than building a new, heavy media separation (HMS) plant, the company will use the HMS plant, which previously processed ore at its Dikulushi mine.
This will reduce development costs by an estimated 50% and enable more rapid development.
The plan is to build a solvent extraction electro-winning (SXEW) plant however by starting small the company can stage development and reduce its capital expenditures.
Because the HMS circuit is less efficient than the SXEW process, Anvil plans to re-process the tailings from the HMS plant in the SXEW circuit. The company used this strategy to develop its Dikulushi mine, which now has an SXEW plant.
The HMS plant would operate for four years, treating 380,000 tonnes of ore per year, to produce about 16,500-17,000 tonnes of copper annually. Copper-recovery is estimated at about 65%.
In the meantime, once the rainy season is over Anvil will test-pit-sample below three metres depth and for several more km downstream. The deposit is currently highly waterlogged in these areas.
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