Listed Mining Companies
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JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – South Africa-based Metorex’s Ruashi mine, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has achieved record copper and cobalt production last month, the company said on Monday.
Copper output surged by 21% to 1 847 t and cobalt production by 33% to 214 t in May.
“The Ruashi mine continues to improve throughput and production levels and in May achieved its highest production levels to date,” said CEO Terence Goodlace in a statement.
He reported that significant progress had been made to improve plant throughput. Total mill feed amounted to 81 400 t at a blended grade of 2,61% copper and 0,48% cobalt in May.
Meanwhile, Metorex said that its board had approved $7,4-million to complete the acid plant at the mine.
The company had completed a study on sulphuric acid supply and concluded that a fully operational plant would reduce operational risk and reduce the cost of importing sulphuric acid from the Zambian copperbelt.
Contractors were being mobilised and the outstanding work should be completed in the second quarter of 2010, Metorex reported.
The company said last year that it planned to quadruple copper output by 2011, producing 135 000 t/y.
DRILLING UPDATE
Commenting on the progress of its drilling programme at Ruashi, Goodlace said that the programme had advanced as planned and that the diamond drilling assays had delivered positive results.
Metorex started an infill drilling diamond programme at Ruashi in April, which would be completed by the end of the month.
By the end of May, 4 829 m of the 5 160 m programme had been completed.
