Bezant Resources has commenced blasting at its 90%-owned Hope & Gorob copper-gold project in Namibia, advancing the project towards ore production and the eventual production of saleable concentrate.
The company said the first blast at the Hope open pit involved approximately 20,000 tonnes of material and is expected to release about 2,000 tonnes of commercially viable mineralisation.
Bezant Executive Chairman Colin Bird said preliminary assessments of the exposed mineralisation were consistent with the project’s geological block model in terms of location and grade.
The company’s grade control team will now compare assay results from the blast holes with the existing surface expression of the mineralisation as it works to confirm the accuracy of the resource model.
“We are pleased to announce this important milestone in the development of the Hope & Gorob copper and gold mine. The blast was successful with excellent fragmentation and extremely well positioned relative to ore,” Bird said.
“The result is testament to our external geological adviser Sound Mining and also our newly recruited geological staff.”
Bezant said mining and transportation of run-of-mine ore to the Tsaoxaub Metals flotation plant is expected to begin shortly.
The company plans to build an ore stockpile at the plant ahead of its commissioning, moving the project closer to processing and concentrate production.
A plant site manager has already been appointed, while recruitment of plant operators is under way.
Bezant’s geological team is also working with external resource consultants Sound Mining to validate the existing block model as mining activity advances.
Blast holes for the second blast have already been drilled, while mining contractor Unitrans has started clearing the site and separating ore from waste ahead of transportation.
“The project continues to move forward in all aspects and we are particularly pleased with progress at the NLZM plant where current activity is intense,” Bird said.
“We will keep the market updated as we proceed towards the key milestones of ore input and saleable concentrate.”
The commencement of blasting marks a key step in moving Hope & Gorob from development towards mining and processing operations, with the next major milestones expected to include the delivery of ore to the processing plant and production of saleable copper-gold concentrate.
