JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed gold and base-metals producer Citadel Resources on Thursday reported that its Jabal Sayid copper/gold/zinc project, in Saudi Arabia, would be commissioned in 2011, with early site works and construction starting in January 2010.

The company has now appointed construction and engineering firm SNC-Lavalin as the engineering, procurement, and construction manager for the project. SNC-Lavalin was also the company which had undertaken the definitive feasibility study, which was currently 90% complete.

Both the capital and operational costs were expected to be in-line with costs published at the completion of the feasibility study.

Jabal Sayid would produce between 225 000 t and 240 000 t of copper concentrate a year, containing about 60 000 t of copper metal. The concentrate would not be subject to deleterious element penalties, and would be shipped from the port of Yanbu, to both India and Europe.

Meanwhile, the company has appointed diversified miner Oz Minerals former director Peter Lester as an executive director.

Lester is also a nonexecutive director at uranium explorer Toro Energy.

“We are excited to welcome Lester to the board. His combination of technical and corporate experience will strengthen the board and the executive team,” said Citadel MD Ines Scotland.