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
London Aim-listed tin mining company AfriTin Mining.

Project Description
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 Phase 2 is 5 000 t/y of tin concentrate.

Phase 1 of the pilot plant is designed to deliver early positive cash flows while demonstrating the feasibility of a much larger second-phase mine development on Uis’ multicommodity deposit.

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 management team.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
Not stated.

Planned Start /End Date
Not stated.

Latest Developments
In ensuring it remains on track to achieve nameplate production of 60 t a month, AfriTin is continuing with the first stage of the Phase 1 production ramp-up of its pilot mining and processing facility at the Uis mine.

The company is targeting the processing of 45 000 t of ore a month to produce 60 t a month of tin concentrate (36 t of tin metal) for the first stage.

As a result, the miner produced 48.2 t of tin concentrate containing 32.2 t of tin metal in October – a 24% improvement on the previous month. The production level achieved in October represents about 90% of the first stage target on the basis of tin contained in concentrate.

Tin concentrate production for the year to date totals 237 t.

Plant availability and use have increased steadily, which, combined with improved plant processing rates, has increased plant production. As a result, AfriTin remains on track to achieve nameplate production of 60 t a month of tin concentrate by the end of the year.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
MRI (buying station).

Contact Details for Project Information
AfriTin Mining, tel +27 11 268 6555.