Bankable feasibility study for
Tormin Zircon project
BATEMAN has been appointed the engineering partner on the proposed
Tormin Zircon project on South Africa’s West Coast, by the Australian-based
mineral-sands group, Mineral Commodities Limited, and the bankable feasibility
study (BFS) on the project has commenced.
The Tormin project, located approximately 400 km north
of Cape Town, is a high-grade, zircon rich resource which, when developed,
could position Mineral Commodities as a niche supplier to one of the
fastest-growing sectors of the international mineral-sands market.
Under the agreement, BATEMAN has been appointed to
undertake the Tormin BFS, which is based on an innovative proposal to
mine and process a rich heavy-mineral resource overlying diamondiferous
coastal sands on the West Coast. As part of the BFS, BATEMAN will include
a build, own, operate option.
BATEMAN is also taking a shareholding in Mineral Commodities,
with the funds raised to be applied to conduct the BFS.
With its very high zircon content, Tormin can be brought
on stream quickly to take advantage of the current favourable market
conditions. This strong demand for zircon is led by Chinese growth and
a limited new supply coming on stream in the next
1 to 2 years.
The BFS should be completed by the third quarter of
2004 and, if positive, will enable the first production from the site
to be achieved in 2005. The project is expected to have minimal environmental
rehabilitation requirements due to natural tidal forces which will replace
mined-out sands.
An in-house preliminary scoping study of the project
estimated that a mining rate of 800 000 t/yr (over a six year mine life)
is possible with the production of 4 000 t/yr of rutile and leucoxene,
respectively, and 16 000 t/yr of zircon. Preliminary test work has indicated
that ilmenite and garnet present in the mineral assemblage can also
be effectively separated and the BFS will confirm whether the ilmenite
and garnet products meet market specifications.
For further information, please contact Tollie
Nel, General Manager, Industrial Minerals, on +27-11-899-2124 or
Email: industrial.minerals@batemanengineering.com
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