JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Exploration and resources company Amur Minerals has completed the restocking and mobilisation of all machinery, spares and supplies needed to complete the 2018 field season at its Kun-Manie nickel/copper sulphide project, in Far East, Russia.
The resupply transport effort began on February 15 and was completed on April 10.
This year's field season will be focused on gathering information for inclusion in project engineering study work and operational design for consideration and incorporation into necessary documentation related to project financing.
Further resource expansion potential remains; however, these areas will be drilled once operations have begun.
However, field operations have already been initiated with the start of the construction of the required roads and drill sites.
Full-scale summer activities are anticipated to be under way by the middle of May.
Drilling will include acquisition of a metallurgical sample from the Ikenskoe/Sobolevsky and Kubuk deposits and the mineralised area between the two deposits.
Infill drilling of a high-grade area presently defined to be inferred by the Joint Ore Reserves Committee standard is also scheduled.
Throughout all four planned mining areas, closely spaced drill holes will be completed in accordance with Russian reserve reporting standards as a part of the requirement for final mine plan approvals.
In addition, the personnel responsible for completion of the resupply have now transitioned into the final site preparation stage for the arrival of the remaining summer field crew component. The total staff on site will be in the order of 100 individuals.
"All materials required for our 2018 field engineering programme at Kun-Manie are now on site and we are ready to begin the acquisition of additional key information necessary for the inclusion in study documentation leading to project financing,” said Amur Minerals CEO Robin Young.
He explained on Friday that this year's programme substantially differs from the company’s past field seasons where the primary objective has been resource expansion and the ultimate determination of a long-term reserve suitable for supporting project funding and the repayment of future funding requirements.
"Having identified the largest nickel sulphide deposit located immediately adjacent to China, Korea and Japan, coupled with the potential for substantial exploration upside at Kun-Manie, we are now able to transition into the detailed engineering of the project. With the project being a highly valued source of sulphide nickel, copper and cobalt needed for electric vehicle (EV) batteries, the scope of our engineering activities has been broadened,” he further noted.
In addition, Young highlighted that the engineering information-gathering phase has also been expanded beyond the company’s consideration of producing a toll smeltable concentrate and the possible generation of a low-grade matte.
The EV market has opened new avenues of potential, he noted.
The two primary areas of interest have the potential to generate near or battery ready materials for direct sale to battery manufacturers and to widen the rank of Asia-centric strategic partners available to assist in the development of Kun-Manie.