PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Manganese miner OM Holdings (OMH) has signed a joint venture (JV) agreement with Malaysia’s Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) to form a quartzite mining and processing partnership.
The JV, in which OMH holds 60%, would focus on the exploration, mining and processing of high-grade quartzite deposits in Lawin and Lasah, in Malaysia. OMH noted that based on initial examinations of the exposed portions of the large outcropping quartzite ridge, the life of the project could extend to about ten years.
The JV vehicle was expected to mine about 500 000 t/y of silica rock, producing 300 000 t/y of high-grade quartzite lump. The quartzite is a key raw material of ferrosilicon production, and material produced by the JV would be supplied to OMH’s Sarawak ferrosilicon smelting project, also in Malaysia.
The JV would spend up to $2-million to construct a processing plant, with the funds being sourced internally and proportionally. The funds would be invested over a period of 12 months, following regulatory approvals.