Modern Mining July 2015

MINING News

Logistics expert joins Tanzanian Royalty

Mining activities in the South pit at Buckreef (Photo: Tanzanian Royalty).

Canada’s Tanzanian Royalty Exploration Corporation (TRX) has appointed Jeffrey R. Duval as its new Vice President of Project Logistics. He brings to the company over a quarter-century of experience working with some of the largest construction firms in the US south-west. Tanzanian Royalty is currently developing a pilot mine operation based on the Buckreef South prospect at its Buckreef gold proj- ect in Tanzania but is ultimately aiming to develop what it calls the ‘Buckreef Mega-Pit’. Four heap leach pads and a 6-tonne capac- ity Carbon-in-Column (CIC) gold adsorption plant have been constructed at the site as part of the pilot mine development. “I am delighted to be part of the growing TRX team,” says Duval. “As it happens, I had been following the company and its CEO, Jim Sinclair, for many years. I look forward to the challenge. Tanzania is over double the size of California and the target sites that Jim presented to shareholders at the AGM are by no means contiguous. Planning and logistics are important. I was especially impressed by the ‘attack plan’ Jim designed to pull cash flow out of several smaller target sites first, so we can use the proceeds, sequentially, to assist in financing our build-outs as we move closer and closer to the Buckreef Mega-Pit. “Of course, the company has just com- pleted construction of what is called a basic heap leach plant; and, as we work our way

toward the Buckreef Mega-Pit, multiple CIL units will also be needed. An alternative is to design a modular unit that is portable, and I do fully intend to explore this option as well. “CIL design has the ability to process not merely the oxide type of extracted material but also the sulphide type,” he continues. “To have both facilities available – the CIC and the CIL – makes the company extremely flexible on a go-forward basis, and speaks to the scope of the long-term plan that Jim presented. Bottom line, we are looking to get the best efficiency, the best costing, and the most precise scheduling that is available. “The future? All roads ultimately lead to the Buckreef Mega-Pit. I roughly estimate that the Mega-Pit would require a plant of approximately five times the size of the facility currently processing material for us at our launch site. That is a staggering num- ber to imagine. I sincerely believe this is a company with a very exciting future indeed.” The Buckreef gold mine re-devel- opment project was acquired from the Tanzanian State Mining Company (Stamico) in December 2010. Under a Heads of Agreement concluded with the state-owned company, Tanzanian Royalty has the right to earn a 55 % interest in Buckreef with Stamico holding the remainder. The project is located in northernTanzania immediately to the south of LakeVictoria and 110 km south-west of Mwanza.  on a number of work streams across the project before the start of the 2014/2015 summer rainy season. However, gains made against the schedule at this early stage were reversed by the impact of an increase in the quantity of overburden to be removed from the primary crusher and plant terraces. 

Earthworks at Liqhobong impact on project schedule In an update on its Liqhobong mine devel- opment project in Lesotho, Firestone Diamonds plc, the AIM-quoted dia- mond development company, says initial production from the new mine is now expected during Q4 2016 rather than the end of H1 2016 as previously anticipated.  Firestone says it was able to get ahead

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