Infrastructure and land logistics, mining and port scoping study results released by ASX-listed coal exploration company Lemur Resources for its flagship Imaloto thermal coal project, in south-western Madagascar, indicate the positive potential of the project and a pathway for its proposed development.

The three scoping studies were undertaken to establish whether an economically viable mining operation, producing up to one-million tons a year of saleable export product and 400 000 t/y of saleable domestic product, could be established.

Preliminary estimates for the project envision a 19-year life-of-mine (LoM) for a total run-of-mine (RoM) of 21-million tons of coal. This is based on the exploi- tation of the measured and indicated portion of the Joint Ore Reserves Committee- (Jorc-) compliant resource, which represents 91% of the resource and equates to a total of 123-million tons.

The development of the project, which consists of one mining permit and four exploration permits covering a total area of 81.25 km2, is two-phased.

The scoping study envisions Phase 1 of the project including an initial truck-and-shovel opencast contract mining operation, in which the main seam, with an average calorific value of 5 504 kcal/kg net as received, will be mined, crushed, screened and sold raw to a proposed coal-fired independent power producer (IPP). The initial capital cost for Phase 1 is estimated at $12-million, with an LoM of nine years.

While no IPP currently exists, Lemur Resources has been working towards acquiring an IPP concession that will enable it to construct and operate a coal-fired power station adjacent to the Imaloto coal project site.
Phase 2, with a ten-year LoM, entails the establishment of an underground mining operation on a contract-mining basis. Construction of the underground operation is scheduled to start seven years after the start of the openpit operation, with related production occurring in year nine.

A mechanised bord-and-pillar mining approach will follow, using unmanned mobile machines.

During Phase 2, RoM coal will be beneficiated to produce a primary export-grade product with a calorific value of 5 689 kcal/kg net as received.

This product will be trans- ported on a newly constructed 60 km haul road, in accordance with the scoping study, to the existing Port of Tulear for export using 34 t interlink side-tipper trucks. The discard coal, with a calorific value of 3 627 kcal/kg net as received, will be sold to the IPP. The capital required for Phase 2 is estimated at $84-million.

Major components of the underground mine infrastructure, such as electrical power reticulation, water reticulation (including pumping), communications and the transport of staff and material, as well as conveying the product to surface, have all been considered as part of the scoping study.