Hi GuysThought this article may be of interest.MINING INDABA...

Hi Guys

Thought this article may be of interest.

MINING INDABA 2013: Equatorial targets Q4 iron ore production in Congo

Australian junior miner Equatorial Resources could start production at its Mayoko Moussandji project in Republic of Congo by the end of this year, ceo John Welborn said on the sidelines of Mining Indaba 2013 in Cape Town last week.
“We are in the process of completing our scoping study, but we thought it’s possible to potentially start small-scale production at the end of this year, beginning to ramp up to 5 million tpy early next year,” he told Steel First.

Welborn said that the mine would start production at 500,000 tpy, adding that the easy recovery of high-grade iron ore at the project would make the operations cost-effective.

“The challenge going forward is infrastructure,” Welborn told delegates during a presentation at the conference. Equatorial is located adjacent to the only railway in the country, close to fellow Republic of Congo iron ore miner Exxaro.

The railway links the two properties directly with the port of Pointa Noire on the Atlantic coast.

“We are in active discussions with Exxaro and the government [of Congo] about refurbishing the railway to the coast,” Welborn said.

The government is finalising plans to expand the Pointe Noir port initially to handle 10 million tpy of iron ore.

It could be further expanded as Equatorial and the other iron ore concerns in the country ramp up production, Steel First understands.