The winter stoppage is over and graphite producer and anode materials developer Volt Resources Ltd (ASX:VRC) has restarted production at the Zavalievsky graphite mine and processing plant.
The company has planned an optimised campaign cycle of one month production per quarter for the remainder of calendar 2023 to minimise Zavalievsky’s funding requirements.
Production of graphite restarted on April 11, 2023 and as of May 5, 2023, over 700 tonnes of graphite concentrate had been produced, including a record daily production of 88 tonnes on 26 April 2023.
Average daily production is 54 tonnes with most of the graphite concentrate produced during the campaign achieving 88-96% purity.
Grinding, Classification and Flotation of Graphite Ore at the Zavalievsky Concentrator, April 2023.
Additional production campaigns to come
Volt expects to finish the current production campaign in mid-May 2023, but will follow up with additional campaigns during each of the September quarter and December quarter, alongside continued execution of cashflow improvement initiatives.
“Zavalievsky Graphite is a part of our growth strategy, and positions Volt as one of a small number of ex-China graphite producers globally," Volt CEO Prashant Chintawar said.
“We congratulate the Zavalievsky team for overcoming many challenges, including power and supply chain disruptions, and personnel availability, to execute our operating plan for 2023 and deliver a very successful restart of the operation. We look forward to providing further updates to the market as they become available.”
Graphite ore being loaded and hauled in the Zavalievsky Mine, April 2023.
About Volt
Volt has a 70% interest in the Zavalievsky Graphite business in Ukraine. The ZG mine and processing facilities have been in operation since 1934 and is near key markets with significant developments in lithium-ion battery production.
Zavalievsky benefits from an existing customer base and graphite product supply chains based on excellent transport infrastructure covering road, rail, river, and sea freight combined with reliable grid power, ample potable ground water supply and good communications.
The company has also acquired three licence applications that are prospective for lithium-borate mineralisation.
Volt is progressing the development of its large wholly owned Bunyu Graphite Project in Tanzania, which is ideally located near to critical infrastructure with sealed roads running through the project area and ready access to the deep-water port of Mtwara,140 kilometres from the project.
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