JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – LSE-quoted Kenmare Resources is working to restore full power to its Moma titanium minerals mine, in northern Mozambique, after floods damaged the power line supplying grid power.
The titanium minerals producer said it was operating diesel generators to continue processing heavy minerals concentrate, magnetic and nonmagnetic concentrate stocks and exporting product, with any available power supply alternated between the mineral separation plant and wet concentrator plant B, in a series of campaigns until grid power was restored.
“The effect of the power outage will be mitigated due to the significant levels of ilmenite product inventories on hand. The company has recently secured additional offtake volumes with a new ilmenite customer for the product that makes up the bulk of the inventories on hand at Moma,” Kenmare said in a statement.
The power failure occurred when the Meluli river burst its banks, compromising the overhead power line between the Moma mine and the city of Nampula.
Many of the materials needed for the repair were already on site, with additional supplies on route, as the company had previously made a temporary repair to the power line following another storm.
A joint Kenmare and Electricidade de Moçambique team had been mobilised to start the repairs as the flooding subsided.