PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Blackstone Minerals has restarted mining activities at the Ta Khoa nickel project, in Vietnam.
“The recommencement of mining activity is an important milestone for the company, and the speed at which approvals were secured is a testament to the expertise and relationships our team has on the ground in Vietnam,” said Blackstone MD Scott Williamson.
Blackstone will now complete 1 000 m of development through the Ban Phuc disseminated orebody to generate nickel ore, and would recommission the nickel concentrator to produce two batches of nickel concentrate for use in the refinery piloting programmes.
The first batch of concentrates will be delivered to Perth for treatment, and the second batch will be processed and stored for use in the second phase pilot plant, which will be built in Son La, in 2022.
“The mining programme will provide significant quantities of disseminated ore which will be processed at the existing Ban Phuc nickel concentrator and subsequent pilot plants. The opportunity to treat this quantity of ore derisks both the upstream and downstream business unit development strategies,” said Williamson.
“Blackstone is committed to sustainable mining and looks forward to producing meaningful quantities of NCM Precursor from piloting in Vietnam, in parallel with our engagement and collaboration with potential partners and customers for our vertically integrated development strategy.”