14
MODERN MINING
June 2014
MINING News
New service line fromVenmyn Deloitte
Venmyn Deloitte has started a new service
line to provide technical reviews for pri-
vate-equity funds intent on investing in the
mining sector.
Venmyn Deloitte is in discussions with
an African mining fund to assist with these
reviews, having already been involved in
assisting one European private-equity fund
assess Africanmining projects to ensure that
they meet the fund’s investment criteria.
Private-equity funds are an important
source of funding for the mining sector,
which competes for funding with sectors
that are seen as more lucrative and less risk
prone.
For private-equity funds, it is important
to determine the geological potential of a
particular asset along with the likely pro-
duction costs and mine plan. Management
capability and the desirability in the market
for a particular commodity are also impor-
tant considerations for investment.
Further details are available from Andy
Clay on tel (+27 11) 517-4205.
Australia’s Tiger Resources has started cop-
per cathode production at its Kipoi copper
project in the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC). Cathode production com-
menced on 25 May after Tiger completed
construction and commissioning of its
Stage 2 solvent extraction/electrowinning
(SX/EW) plant at Kipoi within record time.
The company expects the SX/EW plant
to reach full production capacity within
three months and to produce 25 000
tonnes of copper cathode in its first full 12
months of operation. Phase 2 of the SX/EW
project will see a doubling of this capacity.
Tiger also continues to produce copper
concentrate from its Stage 1 heavy media
separation (HMS) plant at Kipoi. The HMS
plant is targeting to produce 39 000 tonnes
of copper in concentrate before ceasing
operation early in 2015.
Tiger ’s Managing Director Brad
Marwood said the commencement of
copper cathode production was a major
milestone for the company. “Construction
Copper cathode production starts at Kipoi plant
of our SX/EW plant at Kipoi commenced
in January 2013 so we are delighted that it
is in production well ahead of our original
start date and anticipate strong operat-
ing performance from the plant,” he said.
“The start of cathode production has been
seven years in the planning, so to achieve
an on-time-and-within-budget result is an
exceptional performance.”
Tiger’s 60 %-owned Kipoi project cov-
ers an area of 55 km
2
and is located 75 km
NNW of the city of Lubumbashi in Katanga
Province. The project contains a 12 km
sequence of mineralised Roan sediments
that host at least five known deposits:
Kipoi Central, Kipoi North, Kileba, Judeira
and Kaminafitwe.
The feasibility study (FS) for Kipoi
Stage 2 has confirmed the operation as a
low-cost, high-margin project capable of
producing 538 000 tonnes of copper cath-
ode over 11 years, processing ore reserves
from the Kipoi Central, Kileba and Kipoi
North deposits and reject floats, slimes
and medium grade ore stockpiles from the
Stage 1 HMS operation.
It is envisaged that ore from Judeira
and other deposits within the Kipoi project
area, as well as the Lupoto project, will also
be processed during the Stage 2 opera-
tions, providing additional returns and
increasing the mineral resources available
as feedstock to the Stage 2 SX/EW plant.
Interior of the solvent extraction module at Kipoi. This image was taken during dry commissioning with water pumped through the mixer-settlers. Kerosene
and the first PLS solution containing copper has now been loaded into the solvent extraction (photo: Tiger Resources).
Kipoi’s electrowinning tankhouse. The Kipoi Stage 2 development will have a capacity of 50 000 t/a of
copper cathode when fully complete (photo: Tiger Resources).
