Anita Project Niobium-Tantalum Mine, Canada

Anita Project Niobium-Tantalum Mine, Canada

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Key Data
Project type
Strategic metals advanced project
Location
Lac Saintt-Jean, Quebec, Canada
Owner
Les Mineraux Crevier
Resources
25.75mt
Commercial production planned
2012-13
Pre-feasibility study scheduled
2010
Construction scheduled
2012

The Anita project is a priority niobium and tantalum mining project located in the Lac Saint-Jean region of Quebec. The mine is 100% owned by Les Mineraux Crevier. Canadian mining company MDN currently owns 28.75% of MCI.

The project was announced in April 2009. Since then, MDN has invested $2.4m and has committed an additional $13.5m to fund a development and feasibility study. Within this period, MDN has the option to acquire a majority stake in MCI.

The project is currently in the metallurgy testing stage. The potential to operate the mine as an open pit mine for 18 years is also being assessed. Preliminary ore flow sheet designs for the open pit, flotation plant, lixiviation processes and other mining infrastructure have been completed.

Estimates of the project's operating costs, capital expenditures, processing operation costs, tailing treatment costs and other overhead costs have been made. A bulk sample of nearly 70t of ore has been sent for testing for information on the treatment and processing costs on niobium and tantalum.

The mine will begin commercial production in 2012-13. A pre-feasibility study to confirm the economic parameters of the project is scheduled to start in 2010. Depending on the results of the study, construction of the project is scheduled to begin in 2012.

Background
"The mine contains approximately 25.75mt of indicated reserves to a depth of 250m."

The deposit was originally discovered in 1975 by SOQUEM. Between 1975 and 1986, SOQUEM carried out several phases of exploration, during which six drilling programmes were conducted, intersecting 72 holes. When SOQUEM was privatised, the mine was transferred to Cambior. Operations at the mine were stopped until 2002, after which Cambior carried out drilling campaigns to a depth of 6,000m, totalling 33 holes. Camboir was sold to IAMGOLD in 2006. In April 2008, IAMGOLD sold the property to MCI.

Reserves

The mine contains approximately 25.75mt of indicated reserves to a depth of 250m. An additional 16.88mt of inferred resources are estimated between 250m and 350m. The reserves stated at an assumed cut-off grade of 1,000g/t Nb.

Production

When operational, the mine is expected to produce 1.2 million kilograms of niobium oxide and 115,000kg of tantalum oxide / K-salt a year.

Drilling

The mine underwent a diamond drilling programme ending October 2009. Completed to a depth of 5,500m, drilling was undertaken to bring part of the indicated resources from the probable category to the proven category. The rest of the drilling will explore and establish the intersections with high-grade value towards the north of the main ore body. It will also include intercepted drill holes that were intersected when the mine was discovered.

Contractors

The contract to perform the project's scoping study was awarded to Canada-based engineering firm Met-Chem. Analysis and development of the project will be undertaken by a group of companies including SGS Geostat for resource qualification, Hatch and COREM for metallurgical studies and ore treatment process evaluation, Golder for providing data baselines regarding the environmental impact, and Roche for conducting preliminary assessment of the mining infrastructures.

UK-based metal consulting firm Roskill Consulting Group has been awarded the contract for conducting the market study on the niobium and tantalum. The contract includes estimating demand, pricing and consumption trends of the metals. It will reveal the market and pricing prospects of the metal when production begins in 2012-13.

Other contracts for definition drilling, assay results, topographical maps production and on-site project coordination have been awarded to Forages Mario Rouillier, ACTLAB, MIR Teledetection and IOS Services Geoscientifiques, respectively.

Agreement with IAMGOLD

MCI entered into a preliminary agreement with IAMGOLD to sell the entire niobium oxide production. IAMGOLD, a 37.5% stakeholder in MCI, will buy the mine production throughout the life of the mine.

Anita Project Niobium-Tantalum Mine, Canada Reviewed by NajlA On Sunday, April 4, 2010, at 9:53 PM Rating: 5
Saat ini kamu sedang membaca artikel "Anita Project Niobium-Tantalum Mine, Canada" by NajLa pada hari Sunday, April 4, 2010 waktu 9:53 PM, dalam kategori Mining News . Kamu boleh menyebarluaskan artikel Anita Project Niobium-Tantalum Mine, Canada ini dengan menyertakan link sumber dari blog ini. Mudah-mudahan Artikel Mengenai Anita Project Niobium-Tantalum Mine, Canada yang ada di blog pom-ponkini bisa bermanfaat bagi semuanya.