Giyani Metals ,developer of the K.Hill battery-grade manganese project in Botswana this week announced that as part of its planned 2025 Definitive Feasibility Study work has commenced with an infill drilling programme at the Project.
The information gathered from this programme is expected to provide the basis for an updated Mineral Resource Estimate to be included in the DFS.
Giyani has commenced a 2,500m, 61 drillhole infill drilling programme at K.Hill with the aim of defining sufficient Measured Mineral Resources for the initial 5 years of mining operations, which are typically covered by project finance debt facilities.
The results of the infill programme will be integrated with the Demonstration Plant processing and operating output data to optimize the mine schedule and plant feed grades within the DFS.
The Demo Plant is currently under construction in Johannesburg and is expected to process 100 tonnes of K.Hill feedstock ore to produce battery grade manganese in H2 2024.
Danny Keating, President and CEO of the Company Giyani is laser focused towards a achieving Final Investment Decision in 2025.
” We have initiated a number of workstreams to further de-risk the Project for potential financiers. The drilling programme is expected to take a significant portion of the Indicated Mineral Resource into the Measured Mineral Resource category.
This will give greater confidence in the mine plan during the likely debt repayment period and also gives us the opportunity to potentially declare a Proven Reserve as part of the upcoming Definitive Feasibility Study.
“A de-risked mine plan, a new Definitive Feasibility Study, an operating demonstration plant proving our flowsheet on a continuous basis, and samples with potential customers will enable Giyani to attract the widest range of financiers and off-takers to take this Project into construction and beyond as we aim to position Giyani as the dominant producer of HPMSM globally.
The goal of the programme is to upgrade and reclassify a portion of the current 8.6Mt Indicated Mineral Resource into Measured Mineral Resources, to ensure the Project has sufficient Measured Mineral Resources for the initial 5 years of mine production that typically cover the project finance debt period.
Some 100t of mineralised material from K.Hill was shipped to Johannesburg in 2023 and is expected to be processed into HPMSM at the Demo Plant in H2 2024.
The same ore from K.Hill will be used as feedstock in the Commercial Plant which is planned to be built in Botswana and start ramping up to full commercial scale production in 2027.
