PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Battery metals miner IGO is hoping to unveil an optimised plan for the recently acquired Cosmos operations, in Western Australia, by the end of the quarter.
IGO previously took the decision to push back first concentrate production from late 2022 to mid-2023, allowing the company additional time to ensure shaft completion, complete more mine development to enable multiple ore sources, and to expand the process plant build.
“What [the optimised plan] is looking at doing is essentially expanding mill capacity from the planned 750 000 t/y to about 1.1-million tonnes a year. We're also looking at changing mine plans, looking at accelerating of some additional resources underground and bringing that into the production profile earlier, coupled with Odysseus,” IGO COO Matt Dusci told delegates at Paydirt’s Nickel conference, in Perth.
Dusci said that prefeasibility studies at the low-grade Mount Hood nickel sulphide deposit were also under way, with IGO working to understand the exploration potential on the concession.
Cosmos was acquired by IGO as part of its A$3.87-a-share takeover of fellow-listed Western Areas earlier this year.