@Met2020You've mentioned expanding to 3mil t pa ?
As a reference to Sandfires Motheo project of 3.2mt pa....some of the machinery/equipment required.
The
Motheo Copper Mine will be based on an open-pit operation for the original deposit, identified as T3. The drill-and-blast operation will focus on 10-m benches, using suitable blasting methods to minimise dilution. Trucks will be loaded by
250-t excavators. Direct run-of-mine ore will be delivered directly to the crusher or placed on stockpiles for future rehandling.
AMS selected a fleet of Cat trucks to handle hauling duties, supported by a variety of other Cat machines. Barloworld recently delivered
20 139 t Cat 785 trucks, four D10T dozers, two 777 water trucks and two 18 motor graders to the mine.
Add the above to 4 pressure jigs, 8× oresorters.......crushing/ screening equipment.....power generators....large scale camp....large storage/sheds infrastructure.....25km haul road to supposed barge landing.
Then factor in waste rock removal and relocation....which will be required for some future rehabilitation.
Even if AW1 stay at 1.5mt pa.....the costs will be significantly greater than anything mentioned to date.
All this is supposed to be a low footprint operation....??
Mining Cyclone will create a canyon 1.5km long....350m wide at base.....over 100m+ 60deg walls....500m wide at top wall to wall.
IMO the depth of the Cyclone open pit will make it marginal on whether it will be viable to mine. If it is mined, the margins will be small and not the cash cow Dave and co think.
Plus the craters left behind by all the satellite pits.....no one could call that low footprint.
I doubt the Wilderness Lodge(northern end Somerset Island) would think so either.
