Name of the Project
Kiniero gold project.

Location
Conakry, Guinea.

Project Owner/s
Canadian mining company Robex Resources Inc.

Project Description
An updated feasibility study, using a base case gold price of $1 800/oz, has demonstrated the project’s ability to produce an average of 139 000 oz/y of gold over a nine-year life-of-mine. Average gold production is estimated at 154 000 oz/y in the first six years.

The feasibility study notes that the mine plan optimisation efforts prioritise a stable, long mine life, rather than peak upfront production.

Mining is expected to be undertaken by conventional owner-operated truck-and-excavator openpit mining in the SGA, Jean, SGD, Sabali South, Mansounia, and Sabali North and Central pits. Mining in upper oxide layers will be free-dig with drill-and-blast required in areas that mine through the transitional material into fresh rock.

Ore will be processed on site, at a centrally located six-million-tonne-a-year processing facility near the mining areas. The gold will be recovered in a beneficiation plant designed to process a blend of oxide, laterite, transition, and fresh ores from various ore deposits. 

The flowsheet includes two crushing circuits, semiautogenous ball grinding, and pebble crushing milling, dual carbon-in-leach circuits, split Anglo-American Research Laboratories elution, gold electrowinning, and carbon regeneration, which are well proven in the industry. Existing mining infrastructure will be refurbished, with minimal additional infrastructure required.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Using a base case gold price of $1 800/oz, the project has a pretax net present value, at a 5% discount rate, of $480-million and an internal rate of return of 47%, with a payback of 2.1 years.

Capital Expenditure
Upfront capital from January 1, 2023, is estimated at $243-million.

Planned Start/End Date
Not stated.

Latest Developments
Robex is on track to pour first gold at Kiniero in the fourth quarter of 2025, with construction already under way on the five-million-tonne-a-year processing plant, with a six-million-tonne-a-year capacity on early year high-oxide blends and associated infrastructure.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Primero (redesign of processing plant).

Contact Details for Project Information
Robex Resources Inc, tel +224 623 985 486 or email info@robexgold.com.