PERTH (miningweekly.com) – A scoping study into the Tajiri mineral sands project, in Tanzania, has estimated that the project could support a mine life of some 23 years, based on a mining rate of eight-million tonnes a year.
ASX-listed Strandline Resources on Wednesday reported that the scoping study estimated a pre-tax net present value of $205-million and an internal rate of return of 36%, with annual earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation estimated at $0.9-billion.
Tajiri is expected to produce some 261 200 t/y of heavy mineral concentrate from a wet concentrator plant, some 16 000 t/y of rutile-leucoxene, 150 100 t/y of ilmenite and 60 700 t/y of zircon concentrate.
The project is expected to generate revenues of some $1.6-billion annually, at an all-in sustaining cost of $0.76.
The study is based on a mineral resource estimate of 268-million tonnes, at 3.3% total heavy minerals.
Strandline MD Luke Graham said the scoping study confirmed the technical and economic strength of the project.
“Tajiri, together with the more advanced Fungoni project, underpins Strandline’s exciting multi-decade production profile in Tanzania. Tajiri’s large Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant, titanium-dominated resource forms a solid basis for the study, with the design incorporating conventional mining and processing to recover highly marketable mineral sands products.”
Graham said that in light of the scoping study’s strong findings, Strandline will continue to advance the project permitting and development approvals, and will review strategic partnership options to assist in the next phase of project development, while also evaluating external funding options, including a strategic joint venture interest.