Theoretical Copper Production7 Jan 2025 09:45
From the RNS's the theoretical copper production in the short term:
Roan: 520 tpm initially. Increasing to 670 tpm once the glycine leaching circuit is operational. Glycine leaching test was due to kick off in February. So in the short term 1,560 tonnes / quarter from Roan, increasing to ~2,000 tonnes / quarter after leaching. The throughput rate was expected to be stepped up later in the year, further increasing output.
Munkoyo was expected to produce 5,000-10,000 tpm of feed at 2.5% copper for processing at Sable, so theoretically 125-250 tpm of copper contained. Not sure what the recovery percentage is expected to be but that would be the upper limit.
There is also the stockpile of low grade material at Munkoyo, 3538 tonnes of contained copper at the last estimate, but growing all the time. The rapid leach trails were due to kick off there late last year so some potential for copper concentrate from that but unknown at the moment.
Project G first concentrate was produced in October 2024, targeting 3,000 tpm of concentrate at 10-15 % copper by February 2025.
Obviously we don't know the impact of power problems on Roan production in the last quarter but for those with a longer term view the numbers point to copper production stepping up in the second half of the year, with likely 2 further open pit operations to be added soon.