JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Aim-listed Premier African Minerals expected first ore to surface from its RHA tungsten mine, in Zimbabwe, this month, as the re-equipping of the 120 m vertical shaft nears completion.
“Re-equipping the 120 m existing vertical shaft at RHA has taken a little more time than was originally expected, but with all equipment now on site and power reticulation installed, this project is nearing completion and ore will arrive at surface in April,” CEO George Roach said on Wednesday.
The multicommodity mining and resource development company expected positive operational cash flow from RHA when the first ore from 870 level was processed and the crushing circuit upgrades were installed.
“I am pleased to report that Premier has dramatically reduced fixed expenditure at RHA and we remain confident that, as and when 870 level ore is processed at the grades indicated, and throughput and recovery meet design criteria, RHA will operate profitably,” he noted.
The crushing circuit upgrade would take less than two weeks to install and commission once all components were on site at RHA.