Trigon Metals has announced that approximately N$260 million has been spent in upgrades to the mill and constructing a new tailings facility, in preparation for open pit ore production at its Kombat mine in Namibia.
In an operations update to stakeholders, the miners said that in this week, the mill will produce its first concentrate, with first sales planned by the end of August.
“The final piece, a new secondary crushing unit was put in place last week offering higher efficiency, higher capacity and higher availability than the unit replaced,” Jed Richardson, President and CEO said.
The mill is on schedule for start-up as we enter the final stage for open pit production. Meanwhile, significant work has been completed towards underground mining production which is planned to commence early in 2024.
“Mill start-up planned for this week will mark a key inflection point for the company as we start producing copper concentrate and look to make our first revenue next month (August 2023). Special thank you to the staff and officials who have made this possible and the shareholders and partners who have made production at Kombat a reality,” Richardson added.
Open Pit mining at Kombat
Open pit mining started in May 2023, and the ramping up of earth moving has escalated according to schedule. While the strip ratio is expected to average 6.5:1 waste to ore during ramp-up mining; it has focused on reducing overburden and exposing ore in preparation for the mill start-up. In total, 500,000 tonnes of waste have been mined and 15,000 tonnes of ore have been placed on the run-of-mine pad, preparing to be fed into the mill. Earthmoving is averaging over 10,000 tonnes per day ahead of the required 8,000 tonnes needed to meet the mine plan.
With mining already started, Trigon is in possession of all permits required for mining, an up-to-date mining licence and all of the required environmental clearances. The mine and mill are now fully staffed in the mine with contract miner Tulela, Trigon geology staff managing grade control, and Trigon metallurgical staff in the mill.
Underground mine
Underground mining is scheduled to start in April 2024, ramping up through the quarter. The company is hard at work putting the pieces in place for start-up. This includes updating feasibility studies, preparing the underground, building an owner operated underground mining fleet and doubling the capacity of the plant.
The updated feasibility study is on track, being completed by SRK and initial numbers are expected in August for Phase 1 of the underground (Asis West) and in October for Phase 2 (Asis Far West).
Dewatering the underground is the next major step with pumps planned to be turned on in August 2023. All pumps and pipes are at site and pre-installation preparations for pumps have commenced. In addition, Trigon has installed backup generators as a safety precaution to ensure uninterrupted power.
Trigon purchased the first pieces of underground equipment this month, being a used scaler and scoop tram to start on underground clean-up as ramps and stopes will start to become accessible once pumps begin removing the water. The majority of the underground fleet will be purchased new from Epiroc, and the company is working with Epiroc on an equipment financing facility for the purchase.
Plant expansion has yet to commence, but site visits from the manufacturer of the necessary equipment has taken place, final estimates have been received and equipment will be ordered to meet required timelines.
New geological personnel
Trigon has welcome its new Production Geologist to the Kombat Mine. Pedro de Jesus has specialized in grade control, geotechnical studies, and exploration geology. He is highly experienced in the mining industry. de Jesus comes to Trigon with nearly 18 years of experience as a Senior Production Geologist at the Okorusu Fluospar mine, having worked in various capacities for companies including B2Gold, Uis Tin Mining Company, and Northern Graphite Corp.. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geology and Chemistry from the University of Namibia and an Honors degree in Geology/Earth Science from Wits University, School of Geosciences.