Name and Location
Dugbe 1 gold project, Liberia.

Client
Hummingbird Resources.

Project Description
The Dugbe shear zone area consists of 2 000 km² in central eastern Liberia, located about 40 km north-east of the coastal town of Greenville.

The project is underlain by Birimian geology, making it highly prospective for gold. It is currently Hummingbird’s most advanced project, with more than 61 000 m of drilling completed and a 3.8-million-ounce gold resource.

A preliminary economic assessment (PEA) on the Dugbe 1 project envisages a 3.5-million-tonnes-a-year plant tank-leach process, producing an average of 125 000 oz/y of gold.

Mining at the project will be undertaken through a conventional openpit operation, with ore and waste extracted through drill, blast, load and haul methods.

Value
$212-million, although contract mining may significantly reduce initial capital expenditure to $143-million.

Duration
It is estimated that first production could be achieved within 18 months from the start of construction of the plant.

Latest Developments
Metallurgical engineering company MDM Engineering has received approval for a grant from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to support its consultancy work in relation to the detailed feasibility study (DFS) the Dugbe 1 project.

MDM was appointed lead consultant for the project’s DFS and front-end engineering and design (Feed) in July and will provide Hummingbird with consultancy services relating to process engineering, civil engineering, structural engineering, mechanical engineering, platework, piping, electrical engineering, control and instrumentation engineering, infrastructure, project risk analysis and project implementation planning, as well as capital and operating cost estimates.

As a result of the DTI grant, Hummingbird is expected to benefit from a 55% reduction in the cost of the DFS and Feed work to be done by MDM.

The DFS and the Feed are expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2014.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
MDM Engineering Group (DFS and Feed).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Hummingbird Resources, tel +44 20 3416 3560.
MDM Engineering Group, tel +27 11 993 4300 or fax +27 11 886 9306.