Name and Location
Bisie tin project, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Client
Alphamin Resources Corp.

Project Description
The Bisie project has a probable mineral reserve of 3.04-million tonnes grading 3.76% zinc.

A feasibility study completed on the project supports a technically simple underground mining operation at the Mpama North orebody.

Tin is recovered using gravity separation methods that offer low unit capital and operating costs.

The mine is expected to produce an average of 9 000 t/y of tin contained in concentrate over a 10.5-year mine life, with all-in operating costs of $8 450/t of zinc.

The Mpama North orebody will be mined by contractors using proven underground mechanised mining methods to deliver 30 000 t/m of ore to the process plant at a rate of 30 000 t/m.

The project process plant has been designed to process 42 000 t/m.

The design is based on recovery of tin into concentrate through conventional gravity methods.

Mined ore will be crushed to 100% passing 10 mm.

The coarse material (–10 mm to +1 mm) accounts for 75% of the mass flow and the tin contained in this size fraction will be recovered in conventional jigs.

The fine material (–1 mm) comprises the balance of the material and the tin contained in this stream will be recovered using spirals.

The concentrates from the jigs and spirals will be milled and subjected to flotation to remove sulphide material.

The tin-rich concentrate (>60% zinc) will be thickened, filtered and dispatched for transport to the smelter for further refining.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has a real after-tax net present value, at a 15% discount rate, of $84.7-million and an internal rate of return of 36.4%, with a payback of 26 months from first production.

Value
Initial capital expenditure is estimated at $119.2-million to support the construction of an access road, an underground mine, a process plant, a tailings dam and associated facilities with a process capacity of 360 000 t/y.

Duration
The proposed project implementation plan is over 18 months, with underground ore development and stoping starting 12 months before first production of tin in concentrate, which is expected in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Latest Developments
In May, Alphamin announced an updated mineral resource for the Bisie project, including a measured resource of 0.46-million tonnes grading 4.31% zinc, an indicated resource of 4.14-million tonnes grading 4.55% zinc
and an inferred resource of 0.54-million tonnes grading 4.25% zinc.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Alphamin Resources Corp, tel +230 269 4166.