Name and Location
Kitumba copper project, Central province, Zambia.

Client
Blackthorn Resources.

Project Description
A prefeasibility study (PFS) completed on the Kitumba copper project has demonstrated positive potential for an economically and technically viable project.

The project has mineral resources estimated at 108.9-million tonnes at a 0.5% copper cutoff, comprising indicated resources of 87.6-million tonnes at 1.17% copper and inferred resources of 21.3-million tonnes at 0.77% copper.

Envisaged is an underground mine with an 11-year mine life, 33-million tonnes of mineable ore and 572 000 t of contained copper using sublevel caving as the preferred mining method.

Ore production of about three-million tonnes of run-of-mine a year will be conveyed to a combination flotation and solvent extraction and electrowinning (SXEW) plant to produce an average of about 39 000 t/y of copper.

The processing facility has a concentrator producing an estimated 24 000 t/y of 25% copper concentrate; and the remaining 33 000 t of copper is produced using the SXEW plant to produce a copper cathode.

Value
The PFS estimates project development costs at $358-million, including a $34.2-million contingency.

Duration
Not stated.

Latest Developments
In October this year, Blackthorn announced that a maiden 2004 Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant ore reserve, including 33.5-million tonnes of ore at 1.7% copper, for a total of 541 000 t of copper, had been calculated for the Kitumba deposit.

All material was in the probable category.

The ore reserve statement was based on the outcomes of the underground PFS, announced in September 2013.

There was no change to the April 2013 mineral resource statement.

Work on the on the PFS optimisation is under way, with Perth-based Lycopodium Minerals and Australian Mining Consultants (AMC) and other specialist consultants completing a series of optimisation studies on the September 2013 Kitumba PFS.

Metallurgical testing on samples collected during the recent Phase 7 drilling programme is under way at hrl testing, in Brisbane.
The optimisation study is expected to be completed by the end of March 2014.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Lycopodium Minerals and AMC (PFS).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Blackthorn Resources, tel +61 2 9357 9000, fax +61 2 9332 1336 or
email info@blackthornresources.com.au.
Lycopodium Minerals, tel +61 8 6210 5222 or fax +61 8 6210 5201.
AMC, tel +61 7 3230 9000, fax +61 7 3230 9090 or email amcbrisbane@amcconsultants.com.
hrl Testing, tel +61 7 3262 6207, fax + 61 7 3262 6569 or email info@hrltesting.com.