Finders: Copper cathode plant to be commissioned in 2015
Tuesday, July 29 2014 - 12:56 AM WIB
ASX-listed Finders Resources said Monday it was continuing with preliminary civil construction works for the 25,000-ton per annum copper cathode solvent extraction and electrowinning plant on Wetar Island, Maluku, Indonesia, concurrently with the mining of ore required to stack the initial heap leach pad for the 3,000-ton per annum plant. Production from the 25 Kt SX-EW plant is scheduled to be commissioned in the second half of 2015.
The company said in a statement that it has taken advantage of having the earthmoving fleet on site to commence work to access the Kali Kuning Valley (KKV) and then the proposed location of the 25kt plant. Access to the site is a time-critical element of the project development. Excavation to access to the KKV was completed in April, and the fleet is currently establishing access along the valley to the site for the plant and infrastructure.
The earthmoving fleet also focused on establishing the access road along the length of the KKV to enable commencement of construction of the site location for the 25Kt SX-EW plant, as well as the plant?s associated heap leach pads and dams.
Waste from earthmoving has been used to fill the historical gold open pit adjacent to the mine site, which is being filled for as another heap leach pad. This Gold Pit Heap Leach Pad (GPLP) filling operation is now complete. The GPLP will have capacity for more than 500,000 tons of copper ore in its first lift.
Earthmoving has also commenced in the limestone quarry adjacent to the coast at Lerokis Port. The lime stone is to be used as an under-liner for the heap leach pads and sufficient material has been moved adjacent to the GPLP for this purpose. The limestone is also to be used for neutralization of the solution from the two plants.
Earthmoving has now progressed down into the KKV and clearing of the valley area is well advanced. Construction has commenced on the underdrainage for the plant and pad areas in the valley, in the existing valley trough. Access has proceeded into the site of the 25kt plant and initial clearing and access work has commenced.
The company said it will focus on the following activities over the next quarter:
- Continued production and sales of cathode from 3kt plant
- Finalizing the finance documentation for both Daewoo and the syndicate of banks
- Continue the earthmoving activities and ready the site to commence the construction of the 25kt plant
- Mobilize contractors and commence construction of 25kt plant at Wetar.
The Wetar Copper Project comprises the development, mining and processing sulphide of deposits to produce LME Grade A copper cathode from the Kali Kuning and Lerokis deposits, located on Wetar Island, Maluku Barat Daya. The project scope incorporates the now completed construction of a 3,000tpa copper cathode plant (3kt plant) followed by the construction of an additional 25,000 tons per annum copper cathode plant
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak