Name and Location
Mankarga 5 gold project, Burkina Faso.
Client
West African Resources.
Project Description
A scoping study completed on the Mankarga 5 project envisages a mining operation with a yearly throughput of 1.6-million tonnes, which is line with the capacity of the second-hand plant bought by West African earlier this year.
The study proposes the development of the Mankarga deposit using conventional truck and excavator openpit mining methods, including drill and blast, and load and haul. The deposit is planned to be mined using mining contractors.
Mining is proposed to advance continuously, with ore stockpiled according to gold grade and oxidation state.
The final openpit will be an estimated 2 800 m long, up to 300 m wide and up to 60 m deep.
Mankarga 5 ore will be processed using conventional heap-leach processing.
The process design proposes two-stage crushing, cement addition and agglomeration, and overland conveying to heap-leach pads. The pad area is designed with full plastic high-density polyethylene lining; conveyor stacking in three 6 m lifts and drip irrigation with dilute sodium cyanide solution.
The adsorption plant is based on buying new equipment, which will be a modular design with gold recovery using elution, electrowinning and smelting to produce gold doré.
Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has a net present value at 5% of $84-million, and internal rate of return of 57%, with a 16-month payback on capital costs.
Value
Preproduction capital is estimated at $43.9-million.
Duration
Production is expected in the fourth quarter of 2015.
Latest Developments
None stated.
Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.
On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.
Contact Details for Project Information
West African Resources, tel +61 8 9481 7344, fax +61 8 9481 7355 or email info@westafricanresources.com.