PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Mineral Commodities (MRC) has resumed operations at its Skaland graphite mine, in Norway, following a mechanical failure of the primary ore production drill rig in September this year.
MRC told shareholders on Tuesday that a rental drill rig had been sourced and commissioned at Skaland to replace the primary ore production drill rig that suffered in-service failure.
Drilling restarted one week ahead of the initial estimate of mid-October.
With the drill rig operational, ore production has restarted and the process plant is expected to start production in the coming days. MRC said in a statement that the first shipment of graphite by barge was expected in late October or early November.
“While there is work to do to improve plant and equipment reliability and replace aging machinery, I am very optimistic about the future for Skaland as part of the company’s attractive battery mineral assets,” said MRC CEO Scott Lowe.
“Together with our Tormin Mineral Sands business in South Africa, I believe the company’s quality of assets set it apart from other junior companies in this space, and position it well for future value growth.”
The production interruption at Skaland was expected to negatively impact MRC cashflows by around A$0.6-million, MRC said on Tuesday.