JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Tiger Resources set a new monthly production record at its Kipoi copper project, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in June, when it produced 4 422 t of copper in concentrate from its heavy media separation (HMS) plant.
This was 47% above the HMS plant’s nameplate capacity and 10% higher than the previous monthly record of 4 007 t achieved in March.
“As we proceed deeper into the Kipoi Central deposit, the rock becomes stronger with higher contained copper content. We find increasing production performance with better recovery, better concentrate grades and lower costs,” MD Brad Marwood said in a statement on Wednesday.
Total production for the June quarter amounted to 11 116 t of copper in concentrate, bringing year-to-date production to 20 604 t – 11% more than the targeted 18 500 t.
Tiger reported that waste mining had been accelerated to maintain production, which would reduce operating costs during the second half of the year.
Modifications to the processing plant, which included the replacement of conveyors and other minor changes to enhance the production performance, had also been completed.
“These enhancements allow for increased materials handling and better separation of concentrate from the waste rock. Coupled with the improving properties of the ore, this should result in sustained outperformance of the plant,” the company stated.