things to focus on

I can't stand the 1 cent thread anymore...

I came across this on a TSX site. The development of the metallurgy will be very interesting in the BFS:

New process can cut costs at Bannerman’s Etango project PDF Print E-mail
Written by Lienette Goosen
Friday, 28 August 2009 08:20

[Diamond drilling at Anomaly-A prospect to extract samples for metallurgical testing in Australia.] Positive results of recent preliminary flotation beneficiation tests by Bannerman Resources Limited (Bannerman) can add to cost savings and possibly have the spinoff of a longer life expectancy of the Etango uranium project.
Being the world’s second largest undeveloped uranium deposit in the hands of a junior company, the Etango project promises to give Bannerman its first stronghold in the uranium mining industry in Africa.
According to Peter Christians, Head of Bannerman in Namibia, a flotation beneficiation process would substantially influence the choice of processing flow sheet and the scale of the plant, thus potentially lowering capital and operating costs.
“If this process proves to be viable, it has the potential to lower capital and operating costs and to be an attractive alternative to a heap leaching operation,” he said.
Bannerman, an emerging uranium development company, holds interests in two properties in Namibia. Its principal asset is its 80%-owned Etango Project, located south west of Rössing, and its other project is the Swakop River Exploration Project, which almost encompasses the Langer Heinrich Uranium mine.
Christians also revealed the recent favourable resource estimates.
“The July 2009 Etango Project mineral resource estimate represents a 26% increase in the contained uranium compared with the previous February 2009 estimate,” he said.
Aiming for a preliminary feasibility study towards the end of the year and an application for a mining licence in the December quarter for the Etango Project, Bannerman is already well advanced on an environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA).
[Bannerman Resources holds two exploration licenses in the Erongo region for the Etango Project and the Swakop River Project, as indicated by the shaded areas.] Taking into account the public comment on a public meeting on the ESIA on Rössing South last week in Swakopmund and the Etango Project located in the same vicinity near the moon landscape, the ESIA is of utmost importance as well as the upcoming public meetings in October.
“We are constantly aware that the project in located near to a popular tourist attraction. Therefore, we are taking special precautions to mitigate the visual impact the proposed mining may have in the area. We are already spending approximately N$ 120 000 per month on rehabilitating our drilling sites. This clean-up led to the establishment of a new self-supporting business venture, Elga Environmental. We are also a sponsor of Project Shine, an initiative to keep our desert and beaches clean,” Christians said.
“As this is our first entry into the mining sector in Namibia, we aim to invest into the local community and on a national level by making use of Namibian companies for many of our activities, including the ESIA studies and the drilling operations. Currently we are employing 29 people in Namibia of whom 28 are Namibians. We also give support in the form of bursaries in specific fields specifically related to our business. We are also sponsoring a local resident studying medicine at a South African university with the objective that this student returns as a qualified doctor to practice in the local community in Swakopmund,” he added.
The need for services, especially water and electricity, are yet another burning issue for residents in the Erongo region where most of the uranium mines and explorations are located.
According to Christians, Bannerman has already embarked on consultations with the different service providers.
“We are of the opinion that these services should be provided by the existing service providers in their specific fields but we are also looking at private enterprises with whom we can co-operate in this regard. An example is transport where we can use the same road as Langer-Heinrich but we can also perhaps join forces in maybe the construction of a railway line. Depending on our negotiations with TransNamib, we would prefer that the transport of the bulk consumables for the operation could be via rail.”
Subject to the granting of a mining license, environmental clearance and Bannerman Board approval, the construction of the Etango mine is planned for 2011/2012, followed by the commissioning of the mine and plant and production by 2013.

Cheers, Skip