The inferred resource, which covers the first 7.5 km of the deposit to a depth of 3 metres, is 1.5 million tonnes grading 6.8% copper. The copper grade was cut to 11.5%.
The first kilometre had an inferred resource of 285,000 tonnes grading 8.9% copper, the second had 365,000 tonnes grading 7.5% copper, and the third had 280,000 tonnes grading 6.1% copper.
The estimates are based on a depth of 3 metres because sampling was consistent to this depth. The deposit is actually as deep as 6.8 metres.
Coarse rejects and tailings from Kulumaziba were deposited over 27 years while the Mutoshi mine operated. The material was discharged over the Kulumaziba River plain; the deposit widens downstream.
Rather than build a heavy media separation plant, the company will use the existing plant at the Dikulushi mine, which was used to process ore there. As a result, development costs will be reduced by about 50%. The plant is being disassembled and will be transported 600 km to the Kulumaziba site. Production is expected by year-end.
Anvil plans eventually to build a solvent extraction-electrowinning (SX-EW) plant at Kulumaziba and reprocess tailings from the HMS plant using SX-EW technology. The company did so at the Dikulushi mine, which now operates using the same extraction technology.
In each of its projected four years, the HMS plant will treat 380,000 tonnes of ore and produce 16,500-17,000 tonnes copper. Copper recovery is estimated at 65%.
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