https://www.miningweekly.com

African Minerals exceeds 20Mt/y export rate at Tonkolili

28th June 2013

By: Esmarie Iannucci

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Australasia

  

Font size: - +

London-listed African Minerals last week said it had exceeded the targeted 20- million-tonnes-a-year export run rate at its 75%-owned Sierra Leone-based Tonkolili iron-ore mine, in Sierra Leone.

The company achieved peak daily mining production of 75 852 t between May 18 and June 16, which, if maintained, would equate to 27.7-million tonnes a year.

This followed the continued ramp-up of rail and port facilities, which included the commissioning of a high-capacity second car dumper at Pepel port, enabling the dispatch of ten Capesize vessels carrying 1.7-million tonnes of product.

In addition, the company reported that the processing plants had been consistently operating above the 20-million-tonnes-a-year run-rate target since May 1, and had achieved an average annualised production run rate for the period from May 1 to June 16 of 20.3- million tonnes a year.

African Minerals CEO Keith Calder said it was significant that operational targets were achieved during the start of the rainy season in Sierra Leone, demonstrating the success of the company’s wet season shipping strategy.

“Our focus now is to continue the successful management of our production and infrastructure through the wet season, as we remain on track to meet our previous guidance of exporting between 13-million tonnes and 15-million tonnes this year,” he commented.

He added that the company would aim to reduce the cost of production to around $30/t by the year-end.

The next stage of project expansion would pursue the production of up to 35-million tonnes a year of 64% high-grade hematite concentrate, in conjunction with the expansion of the current port facilities at Pepel.

The Tonkolili project boasts an estimated 60-year mine life and a Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant resource of 12.8-billion tonnes, and was being developed in a number of staged expansions.

African Minerals had also developed significant port and rail infrastructure to support the operation of the project, through its subsidiary African Rail and Port Services, in which the government of Sierra Leone has a 10% free-carried interest.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

Comments

Latest News

The integration of Alamos' Island Gold mine (pictured) and Argonaut's Magino mine will create synergies of $515-million.
Alamos buys rival Argonaut
27th March 2024 By: Mariaan Webb

Showroom

SMS group
SMS group

At SMS group, we have made it our mission to create a carbon-neutral and sustainable metals industry.

VISIT SHOWROOM 
GreaseMax
GreaseMax

GreaseMax is a chemically operated automatic lubricator.

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
27th March 2024
Resources Watch
Resources Watch
27th March 2024

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.115 0.15s - 88pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now