Name of the Project
Uis tin project.
Location
The Uis project consists of three project areas in the Erongo region of Namibia.
Project Owner/s
AfriTin Mining.
Project Description
Uis has a non-Joint Ore Reserves Committee- (Jorc-) compliant resource of 73-million tonnes grading 0.136% tin and an additional 2.7-million tonnes at 0.015% tantalum pentoxide. AfriTin has undertaken a detailed mine design for the V1 and V2 pegmatite bodies, previously identified as priority targets, to supply feed to the new intermediary processing plant.
The design of the proposed tin mine includes an initial five-year mine production schedule to start operations on the outcropping pegmatite bodies and existing excavations of the historical V1 and V2 pits.
This in-house mine plan supports an overburden stripping ratio (overburden-to-ore) of less than one and a fast ramp-up profile using conventional openpit mining methods.
Material will be liberated using drill-and-blast methods, while excavators and articulated dump trucks will be used to load and haul the ore.
The run-of-mine feed to the processing plant for this phase of development (Phase 1) is planned at 500 000 t/y, with expected production of 800 t/y of saleable tin concentrate. The target for the following phase is 5 000 t/y of tin concentrate.
The processing plant will be located close to the V1 and V2 pegmatite orebodies.
Other potentially viable metals include tantalum, niobium, lithium, beryllium and muscovite.
Potential Job Creation
AfriTin is recruiting operational personnel, with about one-third of the total planned complement of 90 people having been appointed, including the entire management team.
Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.
Capital Expenditure
Not stated.
Planned Start /End Date
Not stated.
Latest Developments
AfriTin has reported that construction of the Phase 1 pilot plant is well advanced and production is imminent.
It will focus on the commissioning of the Phase 1 pilot plant and becoming a producer of concentrate. The company will plans to confirm a Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant resource and start a full feasibility study on Phase 2 of the project.
Meanwhile, AfriTin Mining has shared the remaining assay results over ten holes from its resource validation drilling programme at the Uis project.
Significant intercepts from drilling on the project’s V1 and V2 pegmatites include 40.50 m at 0.15% tin and 108 parts per million (ppm) of tantalum, 108 m at 0.17% tin and 56 ppm tantalum, and 86 m at 0.16% tin and 69 ppm tantalum.
CEO Anthony Viljoen has said that the conclusion of the confirmatory drilling programme is a significant milestone towards the declaration of a mineral resource estimate.
“. . .importantly, from this set of results, an intersection of 108.97 m at 0.17% tin indicates that the V1 and V2 pegmatites thicken with depth. In addition, the notable grades of the ancillary elements point to the potential for multiple revenue streams as the project advances," he has added.
Key Contracts and Suppliers
MRI (buying station).
On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.
Contact Details for Project Information
AfriTin Mining, tel +27 11 268 6555.