Soil sampling and drilling underway.
Covid-19 pandemic, he has spent the last four years undertaking extensive metallurgical test work, resource drilling and engineering to prove that the project is up to economically viable. “We are currently looking at alternatives to fund the project to get it up to production phase. This means that construction has not yet begun, but we are in the post-BFS phase and are presently doing a lot of work in respect of strategic planning.” Timeline to production “As for our timelines, we are hoping that by early to mid-2026 we will be in a position to begin construction of the mine, which is anticipated to take around a further 24 months, meaning that we expect production to begin in 2028. Current studies indicate that we can expect to produce approximately 27 000 tonnes – peaking at around 32 000 tonnes where the grade is highest – of pure copper cathode annually, over a 15-year life of mine.” He notes that the mine’s long-term viability is underpinned by the just energy transition, and the growing demand for copper that is part of this. “The global copper market is huge, and although
Team inspecting core samples.
Omitiomire is not a major producer compared to some mines, copper remains a long-term growth market. Thus, we are confident that by the time we get to production, demand will not only be strong, but the market will be a profitable one – after all, most organisations view copper as having excellent long-term potential,” he says. What really sets the project up to be
that will be used is highly effective for the predominantly chalcocite copper ore at
Omitiomire. The process involves adding salt to the ore during agglomeration, to help to oxidise the chalcocite, after which acid is then used to leach the copper from the ore. “When we add salt, it creates a more effective solution for dissolving copper from this specific type of ore, and the now copper-rich solution can then be processed
The global copper market is huge, and although Omitiomire is not a major producer compared to some mines, copper remains a long- term growth market.
profitable, he continues, is the chloride heap leaching process that is being adopted to extract the copper. Not only is this method more cost effective than most, thereby increasing overall profitability, but it’s chloride requirement can easily be met on location, as Namibia is a major producer of salt. Essentially, explains Stuart, the chloride leaching process
using solvent extraction and electrowinning (SX/ EW), enabling us to produce pure copper cathodes on-site.” “The copper-rich leach solution is sent to an SX/EW circuit, which uses organic solvents to extract the copper, followed by
DECEMBER 2025 - JANUARY 2026 | www.modernminingmagazine.co.za MODERN MINING 21
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