Name and Location
Duwi flake granite project, Malawi.

Client
Sovereign Metals.

Project Description
A scoping study on the Duwi project has confirmed that the project could support the production of 110 000 t/y of graphite concentrate over an initial mine life of 20 years.

Testwork has also verified the world-class, large-flake characteristics of Duwi concentrates, with 63% larger than 150 µm, including 33.5% in the highest value extra-large/jumbo +300 µm flake fraction. The ratio of jumbo and large flake is among the highest reported flake distributions of graphite projects worldwide and significantly enhances the project’s commercial appeal.

The scoping study has adopted the base case for the project assessment, focusing on the development of a 1.5-million-tonne mining and processing project.

The base case envisages mining 30-million tonnes of mineralisation over 20 years at a strip ratio of 0.67:1. The mining inventory comprises 77% indicated mineral resources and 23% inferred mineral resources.

Overall, the first 9.5 years of mining is supported 100% by indicated material, while the remaining 10.5 years of the mining schedule comprises 57% indicated and 43% inferred material for a life-of-mine average of 77% indicated resources.

The Duwi Main openpit will be mined in several stages and will eventually be about 1 500 m long and 240 m deep.

The study has indicated high graphite recoveries of 93.7% using a simple flotation-based flowsheet to achieve high-grade products of more than 95%, without further chemical testing.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The study estimates a 1.7-year payback.

Value
Initial capital investment in the base case scenario is estimated at $112.4-million, with the total cost estimated at $164.4-million.

Duration
Not stated.

Latest Developments
None stated.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Sovereign Metals, tel +61 8 9322 6322, fax +61 8 9322 6558 or email info@sovereignmetals.com.au.