The Tambao manganese mining project of InterStar Mining Group (CDN) in Burkina Faso (French West Africa) is nearing the commercial production stage, the company reports.
InterStar says it plans to employ contractors for mining and processing (crushing and screening) and for transportation purposes by year-end. Proven reserves at Tambao stand at 14.7 million tonnes. The company says about 50% of the proven reserves grade about 55% manganese. Overall, the deposit averages 51.4% manganese.
A widely consumed element, manganese has application in the steel-making industry. The world’s top producer of manganese is South Africa. Earlier this year, the company entered into a marketing agreement with Billiton Marketing and Trading covering, in its initial phase, the production and sale (mainly to Europe) of 30,000-50,000 tonnes of blending trial lots. InterStar projects it will be at or near project design capacity of 140,000 tonnes per year within two years after startup. Planning is already under way to expand capacity to upwards of 500,000 tonnes per year by 1995, the company says.
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