Walkabout Resources Ltd (ASX:WKT) is making strong progress on construction at the Lindi Jumbo Graphite Mine in Tanzania with the majority of major mechanical equipment delivered to site and planned civil works 77% completed and on schedule.
Construction of the tailings storage facility (TSF) is also on schedule with this work now 73% complete.
Two shipments containing essential pieces of equipment for the completion of the concrete works for the large Screening and Drying building as well as the majority of the larger mechanical equipment have been delivered to site in Tanzania.
Further shipments
A further two vessels with equipment are expected to arrive in Tanzania within the next two weeks and a further two to three shipments are planned to depart from China and Australia this month.
Walkabout Resources CEO Andrew Cunningham said: “The arrival on site of the remainder of the large mechanical equipment means that the certain areas of the processing plant can be completed fairly rapidly and more areas opened up for the construction team.”
Equipment on site
The equipment that has arrived at the site includes the drum scrubber, attritioning mills, rotary dryer, gantry cranes, dust collectors, packing machines, various supporting equipment (motors, pumps etc.) and cast-in items for completion of the foundations of the Screening and Drying building.
Drum scrubber and attritioning mills arrive on site.
Virtually all of the major mechanical equipment has now been delivered to site and Walkabout said the construction team was in a position to install these in line with the construction schedule.
The two shipments enroute include smaller pieces of equipment and platework in containers along with a bulk shipment with the first batch of prefabricated steel for the Screening and Bagging building and these are expected to arrive in country in the next two weeks.
Arrival of this equipment provides the company with greater confidence of construction being completed in the final quarter of this year.
"We look forward to the increased activities on site as the plant rapidly changes shape in preparation of the commissioning later in the year,” Cunningham said.
Recognising the progress made, investors have sent WKT shares as much as 17.1% higher to $0.11 intraday.
Construction progress
Structural and mechanical installation works of the entire crushing circuit is complete and conveyor belting will be installed in line with the commissioning schedule.
The arrival of the drum scrubber and the subsequent installation will allow for completion of the concrete work (mainly floor slabs) within the upper section of the Concentrator Building. This entire area will be ready for the start of the construction of the building steel framework and roof.
Civil works for the entire project is at 77% completion and on schedule. The focus of the concrete work remains around the foundations of the Drying and Screening building and the arrival of the remainder of the cast-in items enables the completion of this area in preparation for the pre-fabricated building framework steel that is enroute from China.
Completed clay-lined embankment walls of the pre-depositional area of the TSF.
Work on the TSF is 73% complete. No more blasts are needed for waste rock for the completion of the pre-depositional area and the focus for the remainder of June will be the completion of the waste rock fill, compaction and trimming of the walls in preparation of the installation of the HDPE liner that has been delivered to site.
Mine planning
With no more pure waste rock blast needed, the focus within the starter pit will shift towards preparation for production and the opening of the main ore zone of the deposit.
This 'core zone' of the deposit comprises a super high-grade zone (5 million tonnes at 22.5% TGC) enveloped by a medium-grade zone (10 to 20% TGC).
The core zone will supply the bulk of the ore for stockpiling, blending and processing through the plant.