Africa-Press – Botswana. Sand Fire is gearing up to start up a mill at Motheo copper mine, the company’s general manager, Mr Hendrikus Engelbrecht has said.
Briefing Ghanzi District leadership during the February 23 tour of Motheo Copper Mine, he said the mine was in the process of commissioning the ore processing plant, and hopeful that they would start the mill in April.
Mr Engelbrecht said it was expected that the mine would go into full production by end of June.
If more deposits were discovered, he said the mine would expand.
Project manager for African Mining Services (AMS), contracted for open-pit mining services, Mr Caster Mothibedi said in an interview that Motheo Copper Mine, which was at the tip end of construction stage was about to go into production.
While commissioning of the processing plant was underway, AMS was currently continuing with waste striping, which started last year, he said.
First trial of commissioning of plant, he said, started February 21, citing that the first tipping of ore into the primary crusher started February 21.
He said the T3 pit would be mined in four stages and they were currently mining stage one, where they had already encountered copper deposit at bench 3.
Mr Mothibedi said ore was encountered at 30 metres, at a bench at about 10 metres.
He said currently the mine was operating with 20 trucks, four excavators and six drills.
He said at its peak it would need 24 trucks and eight drills.
Meanwhile, some councillors appealed to the mine management to help the communities with impactful and sustainable projects.
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