Aim-listed Bezant Resources has completed the chain of contractor services that will make up the Hope and Gorob mining operation, chairperson Colid Bird outlines in an update on the copper/gold project in Namibia.

Letters of preparedness have been received from the main contractors responsible for future mining, processing plant construction and concentrate haulage and letters of intent and offers for financing of an off-grid, hybrid renewable-power supply for the project.

While the mining licence is pending, the company has progressed all other technical aspects of the project including the finalisation of infrastructure; mine and pre-concentrator final designs; audit and costing for the repurposing of an existing flotation plant located within trucking distance of Hope and Gorob to process pre-concentrate from the new mine; and the adoption of a renewable-energy solution building on existing environmental initiatives included in plant design.

Other environmental initiatives include, among others, minimising water consumption on site through the use of dry ore sorting as a pre-concentration step.

A contracting group has provided a final set of competitive unit costs for mining, ore haulage to the ore sorting plant, haulage of pre-concentrate and the transfer of a final concentrate to Walvis Bay for export.

Individual unit costs are in line with costs used in financial modelling, Bezant says.

An international engineering group has confirmed its readiness for the construction and installation of the front-end crushing, ore sorting and conveying circuits.

With offices and workshops located in Swakopmund, the group is well-placed to complete the project and provide continuous support and maintenance services, Bezant points out.

A preferred engineering, construction and project management supplier has been identified and a proposal has been received for the upgrading and repurposing of the existing available flotation plant and tailings storage facility.

Technical design and costing of a hybrid power supply solution including renewables for the mine site has been completed and discussions are under way to finalise a power purchase agreement for the installation of the bulk power supply.

“We are delighted with the feedback and response from the contracting community and we look forward to working with quality names in a quality jurisdiction on a quality project.

“In essence, all the components required to start a new project are in place and the Hope and Gorob has the makings of a pathfinder project for Bezant’s mining aspirations in Southern Africa,” Bird highlights.

“The project will be launched with a modest and readily achievable output of copper, together with a well-recognised potential to grow into a medium-scale operation and, accordingly, we intend to divert cash flow into a significant exploration programme, the success of which will benefit all stakeholders,” he adds.