Name and Location
Kipoi copper project, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Client
Tiger Resources (60%) and La Générale des Carrière et des Mines (40%).

Project Description
The Kipoi project covers an area of 55 km² and is located 75 km north-north-west of the city of Lubumbashi, in Katanga. The project contains a 12 km sequence of mineralised Roan sediments that host at least five known deposits: Kipoi Central, Kipoi North, Kileba, Judeira and Kaminafitwe.

Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant resources have been reported at three of the deposits. The principal deposit is Kipoi Central, which contains a zone of high-grade copper mineralisation within a much larger, lower grade global resource.

A staged development at the project is proposed.

The high-grade zone of mineralisation at Kipoi Central will be exploited during the Stage 1 development. During the three-year operation of Stage 1, the processing of 900 000 t/y of 7% copper is envisioned, which will be processed through a heavy-media separation (HMS) plant, with a recovery rate of 60%, to produce the equivalent of about 36 000 t/y of copper.

The existing infrastructure at Kipoi for the Stage 1 HMS facility will act as a springboard for development of the Stage 2 solvent extraction electrowinning (SXEW) plant, thereby minimising costs for the Stage 2 development. It is envisaged that ore from Kipoi Central, Kipoi North and Kileba, as well as the other deposits within the Kipoi project, and within the nearby Lupoto project, will be processed during the Stage 2 operations.

The HMS plant is producing more than 36 000 t/y of copper in a 25% concentrate. After a short overlap period, during which the HMS and SXEW facilities will operate simultaneously, the HMS will be superseded in the second quarter of 2014 by the SXEW plant, which will produce LME grade-A copper cathode directly at the mine site.

Value
Stage 1 cost an estimated $30-million.

Stage 2 will cost $160.9-million.

Duration
Stage 2 is targeted to come on stream within three years of the start of the HMS operation.

Latest Developments
A definitive feasibility study (DFS) for the Stage 2 SXEW facility at the Kipoi project has confirmed the project as low-cost and high-margin.

The DFS envisages the production of 445 000 t of copper from the Kipoi Central, Kipoi North and Kileba deposits over a nine-year period.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
MCK Mining (mining contract – Stage 1), DRA Mineral Projects (lump-sum turnkey contract  for the design, installation commissioning of the HMS – Stage 1), Group Five (subcontractor – construction works for Stage 1), Arccon Mining Services (scoping study), Cube Consulting (pit optimisations) and Coffey Mining (tailings dam – design and costing).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Tiger Resources, tel +61 8 9240 1933, fax +61 8 9240 2406 or email tiger@tigerez.com.
DRA Mineral Projects, tel +27 11 202 8600, fax +27 11 202 8807 or email dra@drasa.co.za.
Group Five, tel +27 11 806 0111, fax +27 11 803 5520 or email info@groupfive.co.za.
ARCCON Mining Services, tel +61 8 9340 6100, fax +61 8 9340 6150 or email mining@arccon.com.au.
Cube Consulting (South Africa), tel +27 12 665 2154, fax +27 27 665 1176 or email highveld@cubeconsulting.com.
Coffey Mining (South Africa), tel +27 11 679 3331 or +27 11 679 3272.