Name of the Project
Abra base metals project.

Location
Gascoyne region of Western Australia.

Client
Galena Mining.

Project Description
Abra is forecast to be the fifth- or sixth-largest lead producer in the world at full production. The project has mineable resources of 9.2-million tonnes.

A scoping study has confirmed the project as an economically and technically robust opportunity and envisages an underground mine accessed through a decline, with a throughput of one-million tonnes a year, based on mineable resources of 9.2-million tonnes with average grades of 9.7% lead and 15 g/t silver.

Sublevel open stope and room-and-pillar mining methods will be used for underground extraction.

These methods will, together with paste filling high value stopes, allow for maximum extraction of the orebody.

The underground material will be trucked to the surface through the access decline.

The scoping study is based on a one-million-tonne-a-year-capacity processing plant.

Processing will comprise conventional crushing, grinding and two stages of conventional flotation and filtration to produce a lead (plus silver) concentrate.

The plant will produce about 130 000 t/y of concentrate, producing 91 100 t/y of lead and 453 000 oz/y of silver.

The project has estimated mine life of 11 years, with opportunities identified to extend this beyond 11 years.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has an estimated net present value, at a 10% discount rate, of A$394-million and an internal rate of return of 61%, with a payback period of about 18 months.

Value
Preproduction capital expenditure is estimated at $153-million.

Duration
Subject to funding and approvals, Abra construction could start in the third quarter of 2019, with first production scheduled for the first quarter of 2021.

Latest Developments
A prefeasibility study on the project is nearing completion and is expected to be released in September 2018.

Additional infill drilling is also expected to be completed to convert more Joint Ore Reserves Committee inferred resource material to the indicated category in late 2018.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
AMC Consultants (mining schedule).

On Budget and on Time?
Too early to state.

Contact Details for Project Information
Galena Mining, tel +61 8 6166 3750 or email admin@galenamining.com.au​.