PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Metals X on Monday reported a 22% increase in the mineral resource at its 50% Renison Bell underground tin mine, in Tasmania.
The project is now estimated to contain some 203 000 t of contained tin in a mineral resource of 15-million tonnes, grading 1.35% tin.
“Although mining has taken place at Renison for over 100 years, each year we continue to advance our geological understanding of this massive tin system, which has once again resulted in another substantial increase in resource,” said Metal X MD Warren Hallam.
“This increase is yet to be fully reflected in the conversion to reserves at this time. However, we have maintained an eight-year ore reserve, and based on the resource inventory and exploration upside, we are confident that Renison will remain a long-life profitable operation.”
Meanwhile, Hallam noted that the ore sorter currently under construction at Renison would increase the grade of the ore to the mill by 15%, to 20%.
“As such, we propose to bulk mine areas that have been shown to be economically amenable to ore sorting. This has marginally reduced the grade of the ore reserve while increasing tonnes and maintaining contained tin.”
Hallam added that the move to bulk mining selected areas would increase productivity, continue to lower unit costs across the operation, and would further extend the mine life by making previously uneconomic areas profitable.