Aim-listed Tirupati Graphite says it is addressing operational challenges, while also moving closer to its target for net-zero emissions at its operations in Madagascar.

Tirupati is on track to increase its primary flake graphite production capacity in Madagascar to 30 000 t/y by September, which the company says will make it one of the few significant producers of the critical mineral outside China.

As announced on June 22, the company faced challenges to achieving production targets in the first half of the year owing to weather conditions causing difficulties in the transportation of mined ore to the processing plant.

To address these challenges and mitigate against future issues, a 5 km road improvement programme covering identified failure points has been developed, reduced from the previously estimated 50 km programme; and the company is reducing transportation requirements by implementing pre-concentrate units at pit heads, followed by final processing in the plant area to reduce heavy load on the road network.

In terms of the pre-concentrate unit plan, Tirupati says it is dividing its processing flow sheet into two parts, shifting the first leg of processing, which removes 80% to 90% of impurities from the ore, to the mine pit heads thus referred to as the 'pre-concentrate' units.

The 'pre-concentrate' will be pumped to the main plant for the final leg of purification, upgrading it into a finished product with up to 96% purity.

The pre-concentrate units have been designed as 'plug and play' type facilities which can be shifted from one pit head to another.

At Vatomina, the pre-concentrate unit is under development and is expected to be completed by the end of July, which will help Tirupati achieve the target production rate. This development will use machinery and equipment already available on site.

The build-up of pre-concentrate plants at Sahamamy has been initiated and remains on track for completion in September.

This will eliminate the movement of ore from pit head to processing plant by road and insulate the operations from weather-related challenges, while also significantly reducing the emissions from the mining fleet, the company indicates.

Moreover, the reduced transportation requirement will also reduce emissions from operations, supporting Tirupati's target to reach net-zero in both processing and mining.

This is in line with the company’s aim to become the first net-zero emissions and zero-waste producer of flake graphite.

The mining fleet can be deployed more productively to extract higher quantities of ore, increasing the mining capacity, it notes.

The commissioning of the first hydropower plant at Sahamamy is ongoing, in line with the target of July. The company expects to reduce its carbon emissions significantly once the commissioning is completed.