PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Blackthorn Resources has shipped its first zinc concentrate from the Perkoa project, in Burkina Faso.
Blackthorn said on Thursday that 12 175 t of zinc concentrate sailed from the Port of Abidjan, in Cote d’Ivoire. A further 16 000 t of zinc concentrate has also been trucked and delivered to the port.
“The loading of the maiden shipment from our Perkoa mine marks a very important milestone for the project, Blackthorn Resources and our joint venture partners,” said MD Scott Lowe.
The first zinc shipment had initially been scheduled for the third quarter of this year, but had been delayed after zinc production was affected by an unplanned shutdown in May, caused by a pump blockage and alarms on the ball mill gearbox and lubrication system.
The Perkoa mine is the largest zinc mine development undertaken in Burkina Faso to date, with the project containing a Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant resource of 6.3-million tonnes, grading 13.9% zinc for some 873 400 t of contained zinc metal.
The project would deliver 170 000 t/y of concentrate material over a 9.5-year life-of-mine.