PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Copper miner Sandfire Resources has secured a mining licence extension at its Motheo copper mine, in Botswana.
The miner recently officially opened the Motheo copper mine and is working to ramp up its initial throughput rate to 3.2-million tonnes, to produce 30 000 t/y of contained copper and 1.2-million ounces of contained silver over an initial mine life of 12.5 years.
Sandfire is working to increase production capacity to 5.2-million tonnes a year, which will increase yearly copper production to 50 000 t by 2025.
The ASX-listed company on Tuesday said that the Botswana Department of Mines had now approved Sandfire’s submission for an extension of the mining licence, representing the final permitting milestone for the expansion project following the approval of the environmental and social impact assessment in May this year.
The development and mining of the A4 deposit is now targeted for the September quarter of 2024, expanding the footprint from the current T3 openpit.
“Approval of the extended mining licence is a critical step for our newest mine and we look forward to seeing the higher grade A4 Pit contribute to the expanded Motheo mining complex, which is expected to produce more than 50 000 t of contained copper in the 2025 financial year,” said Sandfire MD and CEO Brendan Harris.
“The robust approvals process for this project was a significant undertaking and I would like to congratulate our team for achieving this important milestone, and thank the government of Botswana and our host communities for their continuing support.”