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June 2016
MODERN MINING
9
MINING News
Sarama Resources acquires Bondi gold deposit
Sarama Resources, listed on the TSX-V, has
signed a binding Heads of Agreement with
Orezone Gold Corporation which will see
it acquiring the Bondi gold deposit. Bondi
is 100 %-owned by Orezone and is located
immediately adjacent to Sarama’s South
Houndé project in south-western Burkina
Faso. The deposit has a historical estimate
of mineral resources of 282 000 ounces
Au (measured and indicated) and 150 000
ounces Au (inferred).
According to Samara, completion of
the acquisition will bolster its position in
the region, consolidating ownership of
advanced assets in the highly prospec-
tive Houndé Belt and providing significant
optionality for the development of a mine
in the region. Bondi is located within
trucking distance of both the 2,1 Moz Au
South Houndé project and the 0,7 Moz Au
Karankasso project (in which Sarama has a
30 % interest).
The Bondi deposit lies within the
168 km² Djarkadougou exploration
property in south-western Burkina Faso.
Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso’s second larg-
est city, is located approximately 75 km to
the west and is linked by a paved highway
that transects the property.
The mineral resources within the South
Houndé and Karankasso projects are each
located approximately 30 km (straight line)
from Bondi, presenting an opportunity to
ultimately combine the three deposits by
trucking feed to a central processing facility.
Metallurgical testwork by Sarama at the
South Houndé project has identified sev-
eral processing flowsheets including heap
leaching for oxide material and a staged
tank-based plant for hard rock material.
ASX-listed Avenira (previously Minemakers
Limited) reports that it made good prog-
ress in the March quarter on advancing its
Baobab phosphate project in Senegal. The
company is developing its first open pit
within the Small Mine Permit (SMP) area at
Baobab.
The Baobab project area covers a total
of approximately 1 553 km
2
. Within the
project area, the Gadde Bissik prospect of
approximately 90 km
2
was identified dur-
ing excavation of water wells in the 1950s.
Avenira has managed the exploration of
the Gadde Bissik area since early 2014,
building up a comprehensive knowledge
of the project and its potential.
The SMP was granted in May 2015 over
the area of thickest and highest grade min-
eralisation identified to date at the Gadde
Bissik prospect and the focus of explora-
tion has continued to be within this area
since that time. A maiden indicated min-
eral resource estimate for Gadde Bissik East
of 12,6 Mt at 21,0 % P
2
O
5
at a 15 % P
2
O
5
cut-off grade was announced in December
last year.
Avenira’s strategy to develop the proj-
ect is based on an initial Stage 1 operation
producing 500 000 t/a of phosphate con-
centrate. Total capital expenditure to
production is estimated at US$15 million
and the project is fully funded. The opera-
tion has been designed to enable multiple
stages of expansion.
Mined rock phosphate, once dried on
conventional pads, will be trucked 145 km
on predominantly sealed roads to the Port
of Dakar, which has sufficient existing
capacity for export.
Mining of the Stage 1 open pit overbur-
den began at Gadde Bissik during March.
Initial mining, undertaken on a 24-hour
basis, utilised a 385C excavator and three
of the five haul trucks on site. According
to Avenira, the mining rate continues to
improve as mining conditions are bet-
ter understood and resources are added.
Two new 390 excavators and the remain-
ing trucks were operational by the end of
March.
The long lead ultrafine screening equip-
ment has been fabricated in the US and is
ready for shipping to Dakar. The site estab-
lishment and local resource procurement
advance team from the process plant engi-
neering contractor arrived on site at the
end of the March quarter.
SouthAfrican-based specialist engineer-
ing group Consulmet is progressing with
Mining activities start at Baobab phosphate project
the fixed price design and construction of
the modular wet screening plant. The plant
is being fabricated in Johannesburg and
will be transported to site for final erection
and installation.
“The March quarter has been a very
busy and productive period for Avenira,”
says Cliff Lawrenson, Avenira’s MD.
“Substantial progress was made on site
as mining activities commenced at the
Baobab phosphate project. All works are
currently on time and on budget and the
company remains on schedule to deliver
first production during the second half of
2016. Getting to production in the second
half of 2016 is our first priority, followed
by moving from our current Small Mine
Permit to a full Mine Permit to enable
increased production.”
Overburden removal at the Baobab site by mining contractor Agromines (photo: Avenira).