Global multidisciplinary engineering group DRA earlier this month announced that it had been appointed the lead study manager for the definitive feasibility study (DFS) of Australian mineral exploration and resource management company Triton Minerals’ Triton Mozambique Graphite (TMG) project.

The TMG project comprises the Nicanda Hill/Cobra Plains, Ancuabe and Balama graphite deposits, with the DFS due for completion late this year.

DRA Pacific CEO Clive Hart says Nicanda Hill is the world’s largest known graphite deposit, comprising a 1.46-million-tonne indicated and inferred resource at 10.7% total graphitic carbon and 0.27% vanadium pentoxide.

Metallurgical testwork has shown that high-purity graphite concentrate of 94% to 97% can be produced by simple flotation.

Hart adds that Ancuabe and Balama South have also been found to contain some of the world’s highest-quality jumbo flake graphite.

DRA’s Perth office will coordinate and manage the overall DFS, complemented by its Perth-based mining engineering partner, ORElogy.

In addition, services will be provided by several groups within DRA’s Johannesburg office covering areas such as infrastructure, logistics, transportation and regional cost estimation.

A number of other specialist consultants have also been appointed by Triton, including environmental management and impact assessment firm Coastal & Environmental Services, which will conduct environmental studies, and environmental consulting firm Golder Associates, which will conduct tailings storage facility studies.

The DFS will start with a number of option studies done to prefeasibility, which will then form the basis for the DFS. Included in the option studies will be the investigation of the Ancuabe and Balama South graphite deposits and their potential for integration into the overall TMG project.

“We are pleased to be appointed by Triton Minerals as lead study manager for this major graphite project. We believe that DRA offers significant advantages to clients such as Triton, which is based in Australia, with projects in Africa.

“Such advantages include local study capabilities by Africa-experienced personnel, local mining engineering support through ORElogy, the complementary capabilities of our Johannesburg office, our extensive experience throughout Africa and our ability to continue [through to] project delivery,” says Hart.

He adds that a further advantage of DRA’s services is the opportunity for the detailed design, procurement and project delivery phases to be carried out by the experienced personnel of its Johannesburg office at significantly lower cost rates, compared with those of Australia.

DRA has offices and operations in nine African countries, as well as Australia, Canada, China, Europe, India and the US.

The DRA group provides flexible services, allowing it to meet the needs of major multinational mining companies as well as junior and emerging producers. The company’s expertise covers a range of commodities, including gold, platinum, coal, ferrous metals, diamonds, graphite, uranium, base metals, potash and rare earths.