PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Aguia Resources has commissioned optimisation work on the preliminary economic assessment (PEA) of its Tres Estradas project, in Brazil.
An August PEA into the Tres Estradas project indicated that the project could produce 500 000 t/y of single superphosphate, at a capital cost of $184-million.
The project was estimated to have a mine life of some 15.5 years, based on a 70.1-million-tonne mineral resource.
US-based Millcreek Mining Group would now factor in the inclusion of a 600 000 t/y calcite plant at the Tres Estradas mine site, which was expected to enhance the cash flow of the project and minimise waste production.
The company would also look to optimise metallurgical recoveries, consider alternative and more cost effective logistic solutions, optimise the mine plan, consider direct mine gate sales for a phosrock production scenario, and consider a phosrock-only operation which would simplify the mine development timeline and reduce capital requirements.
Millcreek would also be analysing the results from recent infill drilling at Tres Estradas to convert inferred results to indicated within the 70-million-tonne resource.
The updated PEA was expected by the second quarter.