rain rain rain at batchelor, page-13

No need the elaborate you have it exactly right oly. Some mines can still operate in the rains on a limited basis but it is murderous on your tires and dig rates.

Here we get our rain randomly so sometime we have built a stockpile and other times we get caught out and stop the plant. But obvious the weather patterns of the Hunter and the NT are somewhat different.

Regarding the construction schedule I would be interested to know how we are sitting against the construction schedule. I doubt that the rain has delayed the big picture a great deal, if it is behind it is almost certainly on account of materials and key equipment supplies. CMR are extremely lucky that we got the plant second hand but it will still need to be reassembled and further more customized to our particular geology. That means that the circuit the material takes will need to be changed such the each stage in the cycle is the correct length and has a suitable capacity. etc etc. All of this design work would have been completed when the plant was purchased and items required to mod the plant into something usable would have been ordered at the same time (you'd hope anyway :)

In terms of other infrastructure they will need to build workshops with overhead crane facilities, stand pipes and also they will need to get their explosives contract sorted out with Orica or whoever else they use. Their contractor may have to also build a facility to handle their requirements if there is no mine in the surrounding area that is close enough.

Maybe someone else who works in the NT will tell me ....no no they are all done prepackages here or what ever I don't know. I do know how the infrastructure works here in the HV and if it is the same then I can't really imagine any great difficulties.

BUT! all of that said.....Commissioning a mine is a difficult process. Recently a mine up here had done extremely well on it's start up and had earned an awful lot of money, no sooner that was put in the bank and the geology turned on them. Their mining method relied on ripping out the interburden (using a dozer to tear up waste between seams) but as they got deeper the interburden hardened and now everything has to be shot.$$$$

The point of the matter is that we WILL have our share of problems, to date our progress has been amazing and we are as well positioned as you could be. You are not the first and you wont be the last to tell us all the end is near. If this stock halved tomorrow I would would by more. I bought more at just above 500 on the last dip 520 420 54 40 I haven't sold a share and I wont on the basis of construction delays.

Contrary opinions are always welcome but they must be backed up with fact. Call up the company and ask em if you are worried about it.

Cheers,
Straight.