Luansobe25 Aug 2022 00:30
104 + 69 historic holes and now a drilling campaign for a further 30 (3000m) or so, to expand and confirm the historic data, test and evaluate the newly discovered shale zone for a JORC compliant resource estimate. A resource, say for example, capable of producing 5mt @ 2% Cu/yr equates to 100kt/yr and at today's Copper price ($8000/t) for revenues of $800m/yr.
Cost's and therefore margin look highly favourable for Galileo with Luansobe being in close proximity to the Mufulira Processing Plant, should Galileo choose this route to market.
At Mimbula (see previous posts), in the early days of the project when assessing the options and alternatives, Moxico chose to run (truck) the ore mix 10km direct into the KCM Tailings Leach Plant at Chingola generating early cash flow, before raising capital to build a Plant facility (Stage 1 - the preferred option) on site.
Luansobe is about the same distance from the Mufulira Processing Plant but with an added advantage. The adjacent land between the conceptual open-pit and the processing plant is licenced to Mopani. Galileo could (if the option is available) run larger dump trucks off-road on the Mopani property thereby avoiding Public Highway Regulations and weight/payload capacity restrictions for an enhanced cost effective operation and probably safer too.
Once Galileo has completed the drilling and determined the grade, tenders go out (early Q4) possibly for the scenario described above and benchmark figures are received. Value of the payload at the Plant less transportation cost's equals margin. The bigger truck, the bigger the margin. Benchmark figures are then used to test the alternatives.
Further on, mineralisation is to a depth of 1250m and more. Mufulira's new shaft is the second deepest in the world at over 2km. Luansobe is along strike a short distance away.
Add in the on-going Mopani restructuring with a new investor (a Major) brought into the region can only be a plus for Galileo.
Only the beginning.
A game changer and inflection point?
Most definitely imo.