By - Manisha
Highlights
- Revolver Resources (ASX:RRR) has completed initial engineering designs for on-site heap leach processing at the Dianne Project in North Queensland.
- As per the company release, Dianne is the highest-grade copper mining operation in Australian history.
- As per the estimations done till now, plant construction and commissioning will take lesser than a year for completion.
- RRR has begun a comprehensive Scoping Study to measure the commercial viability of restarting operations at Dianne Pit.
In the latest announcement, Revolver Resources Holdings Limited (ASX:RRR) revealed that it has wrapped up initial engineering design for a site-based copper processing facility at the Dianne Project, the highest-grade copper mining operation in Australian history.
The company has also begun a full Scoping Study at the site on the basis of previously quantified results from both Metallurgy and Mineral Resource Estimate completed in 2022. The study will chart out the commercial viability of restarting operations at the Dianne Pit in North Queensland.
Data source: Company update
Dianne Copper Project and Design Work Overview
Centered on the historical Dianne copper mine in Southern Cape York Peninsular, Dianne Copper Project is spread over an integrated area of 545km2 that includes six granted mining leases and three granted exploration permits for minerals.
Development began at Dianne in 1979 with a small-scale underground and open pit mine operating until 1983 when mining was suspended.
Production over a four-year period from the chalcocite enriched sulphide mineralisation from the massive zone totalled 63,758 tonnes of high-grade direct shipping ore at an average grade of 22.7% copper.
The Maiden Mineral Resource estimate for the project stands at 1.62 Mt @ 1.1% Cu with total contained metal of 18,000 tonnes of Cu, as per the estimate conducted by independent global consultancy AMC Consultants.
Data source: Company update
Revolver has involved PPM Global Pty Ltd for engineering and design work as a precursor to a more comprehensive Scoping Study for the Dianne Mine mineral resource. The design work has been outlined on the assumptions that the heap leach SX/EW facility will be built at Dianne to produce grade A copper cathode. Also, another assumption is that copper cathode would be trucked to a storage facility at a distance of about 240km from Dianne, at Port of Cairns, before it is shipped to market.
For any open pit operation at Dianne, as an expansion to the historic open cut excavation, there is a need for minimal establishment works with the basic infrastructure and services available. The necessary incremental permitting steps are underway.
As of now, the project is developing as per the Mining Lease footprint, asserts the company.
Revolver Resources plans to take forward thorough study into the near-term production potential at Dianne. It will bring to action more dedicated scopes of work in the 2023 exploration season.
Some of the next steps are:
RRR shares last traded at AU$0.185 on 30 March 2023.