mtl10 Dec 2018 11:02
The BIOX® circuit, after having established full operations early in the quarter, was operated continuously at reduced throughput rates to match the availability of sulphide concentrate feed. No material power issues were experienced during the period. Unfortunately an error in the software used in mine scheduling caused the under-estimation of the volume of waste to be removed, with the effect of delaying access into the ore positions in stage 2 of the mine. As a consequence, ore feed to the processing plant has been adjusted to compensate for the reduction in ore tonnages available for processing. It is expected that full processing operations will re-commence in December.
Mining Operations
· Overall mining operations continued to improve in Q3.
· The mine scheduling software error identified during the quarter has been resolved, verified and re-scheduling commenced.
· Ore production was restricted to around 70% of forecast due to the scheduling errors.
· Tullingan waste dump is fully operational.
Processing Operations
· BIOX® operations have been stable throughout Q3 and design criteria has been demonstrated.
· Throughput feed into BIOX® has been reduced to below 65% to compensate for the restricted tonnage available and reduced sulphur in ore mix.
Finance
· Discussions are ongoing with current lenders and external parties exploring possible ways to refinance the Group's overall debt position.