Sovereign Metals Ltd (ASX:SVM, OTC:SVMLF, AIM:SVML) has made great strides toward completing the pilot phase of construction for the Kasiya Rutile-Graphite Project in Malawi, with groundworks underway.
A pilot mining and land rehabilitation program is progressing with site establishment on schedule and the mobile fleet constructing the test pit, water storage pond and ore stockpiles.
The free-dig nature of the soft saprolite ore confirms that the project will be highly amenable to basic mining, with no drilling or blasting required.
SVM has commissioned eight boreholes which are ready to supply the water storage pond once complete.
Low operating costs
“This pilot phase is a step-change for Kasiya and demonstrates our ability to execute in Malawi,” Sovereign Metals managing director Frank Eagar said.
“The early works are progressing as planned: on schedule and within budget.
“We are very pleased with the progress and specifically how the mobile fleet is performing in the soft saprolite ore, confirming our understanding of how simple mining, with no drilling or blasting required, will contribute to low operating costs.”
Dry mining stockpile area under construction.
Construction fleet
SVM’s construction fleet consists of four excavators, 20 trucks and a support fleet, including two bulldozers and a motor grader, which are moving about 5,000 cubic metres of earth per day.
The company says it has now appointed key contractors and consultants across major disciplines, and that empirical data generated from the pilot phase will assist in planning optimal project excavation, material handling, processing, backfilling and rehabilitation approaches.
Sovereign’s objective is to restore land after mining to conditions that achieve the same or better agricultural yields than existing land uses and crop yields.
The pilot phase will demonstrate to local communities the successful rehabilitation of land for agricultural use post-mining; land rehabilitation will form an integral component of the ongoing optimisation study.
Kasiya is the world's largest natural rutile deposit and the second-largest flake graphite deposit.