Aim-listed African Copper will install a mobile crushing unit and amend the environmental management plan (EMP) at its Mowana mine to remove bottlenecks hampering the ramp-up to full capacity, the miner reported on Thursday.
African Copper reopened the Botswana mine in August and reached "encouraging" levels of production in October and November, but lower plant availability had impacted on output in December and January, said executive director Jordan Soko.
The plant had produced 4,3-million tons of concentrate, at an average grade of 1,30% copper for 1,19-million tons of copper contained in concentrate, since recommissioning in late August.
Copper recoveries increased in October and November, reaching 57,3% in November, in line with African Copper's targeted recovery rate of 57%, before declining, together with ore processed, due to lower plant availability.
The miner explained that lower secondary and tertiary plant availability was caused by high crusher liner wear and heavy rain that affected the consistency of the ore and hindered the flow of material from stockpiles. Plant throughput was also cut by the inability of the horizontal belt filter to consistently handle and produce dry tailings.
African Copper had placed an order for the rental of a mobile crushing unit, which would temporarily bypass the secondary and tertiary crushing plant, while it worked on incorporating an improved feed arrangement for these crushers.
"The mobile crushing unit will have a crushing capacity equivalent to the current secondary and tertiary crushing plant in order to process the appropriate volumes while the primary crusher continues to function well," it noted.
Delivery and installation of the mobile crushing unit would be completed in four weeks.
Further, African Copper is amending the EMP to migrate from a dry to a wet tailings system.
Scott Wilson RPA Mining group is undertaking design work on the new tailings facility, while the EMP amendment is under way, in order for construction to start as soon as Botswana approved the changes to the plan. The company expects authorities to approve the EMP amendments in April.
Source: Mining Weekly
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