Marula Mining continues its progress at the Kinusi copper mine in Tanzania, with open-pit mining operations ongoing at the No 4 Pit, in partnership with Takela Mining Tanzania.
Shallow drilling and blasting of high-grade copper mineralization are taking place, and stockpiling of the ore aligns with the company’s two-phase development and processing plans announced in late September.
Marula’s executive team recently collected three 10 kg samples, which will be sent to South Africa for testwork. Results will optimize the Phase 1 gravity concentrate circuit, designed to produce 24,000 tonnes of high-grade copper concentrate annually.
New mobile mining equipment is expected to arrive by December 31, allowing the company to achieve the targeted production levels necessary for the initial Phase 1 processing plant.
The samples will also be used for hydrometallurgical tests, including copper leach kinetics and heap leaching polymer screening.
These tests are essential for the Phase 2 hydrometallurgical circuit, which involves optimized heap leaching and copper solvent extraction.
Marula is on schedule to award the Phase 1 contract, valued at £1.4 million, by December 31. Discussions with mineral processing and engineering groups in South and East Africa are progressing.
The company is finalizing sales of three trial shipments of high-grade copper oxide ores (100-250 tonnes each) to global trading groups in the UK and Switzerland. These sales are part of securing a long-term offtake agreement for copper concentrates and cathodes.
With the current copper concentrate price at $1,200-$1,600 per tonne, Marula is on track to achieve robust earnings based on its current mining costs.
“We’re entering an exciting phase at Kinusi, with stockpiling underway and preparations for Phase 1 processing to begin in early 2025,” said CEO Jason Brewer.
“We’re confident that the Kinusi mine will make a significant contribution to Marula’s growth as we finalize offtake agreements and continue copper concentrate shipments.”
