Modern Mining October 2015

GOLD

flows down the Luika River. At the end of the life of the NLGM, this dam will form part of Tanzania’s infrastructure. The plan includes a new power plant to replace and expand the existing power plant. NLGM will continue to use heavy fuel oil but the new plant will have low speed engines which provide a longer life and are more effi- cient. The cost benefits of the revised power costs have been incorporated into the plan. Options to use renewable energy sources, namely solar and hydro, are potentially part of the solution, as is the connection to grid power for non-essential services, where this will fur- ther improve cost. NLGM already has a 63 kW pilot solar plant operating on site. The new tailings storage facility is to be commissioned in 2016 and will provide for an initial eight-year mine life at current mill capac- ity. This includes capacity for the retreatment of the contents of the existing tailings facility which contains gold and silver not recovered prior to the installation of the elution plant, which was commissioned in 2014. In the updated reserves statement for NLGM, the total reserves are given (as at 1 September 2015) as 2,66 Mt at a grade of 5,93 g/t for 506 000 contained ounces and 455 000 recoverable ounces. The underground reserves account for 1,57 Mt (at 6,5 g/t) of this total and the open-pit reserves for 1,08 Mt (at 5,08 g/t). While there has been no change to the open-pit reserves since the last reserve statement of April 2015 (save for depletion since then), the underground reserves have increased by 31 000 oz (10 %) from the October 2014 reserve statement. Total resources in addition to those in the mine plan amount to 6,64 Mt at 2,41 g/t for 514 000 oz (1,0 g/t cut-off for open pit; 3,0 g/t cut-off for underground). Within this, 2,77 Mt at 2,38 g/t for 212 000 oz are indicated resources and are predominantly (77 %) surface mine- able. Shanta says work is underway to review the mining cost of these surface deposits to enhance their economics. Of the inferred resources (3,87 Mt at 2,43 g/t for 302 000 oz), the majority are underground (87 %) and can benefit from increased drilling density. Of particular interest in the under- ground inferred resources are the potential extensions at BC and Luika deposits which are open at depth and will have the benefit of the planned mine infrastructure, which is anticipated to be capable of supporting mining down to 500 m. Inferred resources for BC and Luika underground are 0,68 Mt at 4,76 g/t for 105 000 oz. The deeper drilling of these depos- its is planned from the underground mine.

With the anticipated upgrading of resources that sit outside the plan, there is an opportu- nity to bring forward production from satellite open pits. This will utilise spare mill through- put capacity and also potentially stretch the life of the high grade underground reserves, thus enabling further low grade resources to be profitably mined. This has benefits of improv- ing overall project value and delaying capital expenditure. Commenting on the new mine plan recently, Dr Toby Bradbury, Shanta’s CEO, said it gave clarity on the production profile at New Luika from January 2016 to late 2022. “The mine plan clearly demonstrates a significant upward revision of the reserve figures and the positive economics of the underground feasibility study it includes. The economics of the updated mine plan remain robust despite the recent gold price environment and demonstrate the quality of the geological endowment at New Luika. We are confident that subsequent upgrades will be provided through an active review of costs and the substantial resources that remain outside this mine plan. “We will continue to explore on-mine and surrounding mineralisation, and bring indi- cated and inferred resources into future mine plan reserves. I would like to thank the entire team that has worked so hard to deliver this result, our investors and our host communities for their continued support.” Photos courtesy of Shanta Gold

The NLGM property is locat- ed in south-west Tanzania in the historic Lupa goldfield. NLGM is the only current commercial-scale producer in the goldfield.

October 2015  MODERN MINING  25