Name of the Project
Lindi Jumbo graphite project.

Location
The project is located in south-east Tanzania, about 200 km from the Port of Mtwara.

Client
Walkabout Resources.

Project Description
The project has total mineral resources of 41.8-million tonnes at 10.8%, containing 4.5-million tonnes of total graphitic carbon (TGC).

Walkabout Resources has reported a proven and probable maiden ore reserve of five-million tonnes, grading 16.13% TGC for 809 081 t of graphite concentrate.

The mining operation at Lindi will be outsourced to a contract mining company.

Weathered ore and waste will be excavated using a hydraulic shovel and loaded onto dump trucks for hauling out of the pit to the run-of-mine (RoM) stockpile, low-grade stockpiles or waste dumps. A tracker dozer will be used where the weathered material requires ripping before excavating. Fresh ore and waste will be drilled and blasted before being loaded and hauled in a similar manner.

Waste and ore will be transported from the pit to the waste dump and RoM pad or stockpile by articulated 30-t-capacity dump trucks. The primary mining equipment fleet required will consist of two excavators and two trucks. Provision has been made for ancillary equipment in the cost estimates.

The proposed flowsheet comprises:
• an RoM bin and apron feeder,
• a primary jaw crusher and secondary cone crusher,
• a drum scrubber with trommel screen (trommel screen oversize to secondary crushing),
• a primary rod mill,
• sequential rougher/scavenger flotation,
• a regrind cleaner flotation – four stages of concentrate attrition regrinding and cleaner flotation;
• filtration and concentrate drying,
• the screening of final product concentrate, and
• the bagging of concentrate.

The plant has been sized for a feed of 300 000 t/y of ore with a grade of >16% TGC to produce 40 000 t/y of graphite flake concentrate with an average grade of 97% TGC. This corresponds to a graphitic carbon recovery of about 85%.

Four high-purity products (96% to 98% TGC) are planned to be produced at Lindi Jumbo and the life-of-mine average ratio includes a weathered allocation of ore and a fresh allocation, with a cutoff determined at 10 m below surface. The products are targeted towards the high-end markets, with an estimated 8 000 t/y of super jumbo (+500 μm) and 14 000 t/y of the jumbo (+300 μm) products suitable for the expandable natural flake markets.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has a pretax net present value, at a 10% discount rate, of $302-million and an internal rate of return of 108%, with a payback of 19 months.

Value
Preproduction capital costs are estimated at $29.6-million.

Duration
Walkabout is hoping to start construction at Lindi in the first quarter of 2018, provided that initial funding can be secured.

Latest Developments
Walkabout Resources has increased the mineral resource estimate at the project by 41.3%.

The resource has increased to 41.8-million tonnes at 10.8%, containing 4.5-million tonnes of graphite. Fifty-one per cent of the mineral resource that will form part of the initial mining and economic studies is now classified as measured and indicated, containing 6.6-million tonnes of graphite.

The resource includes five-million tonnes of high-grade material at 22.5% TGC.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Walkabout Resources, tel +61 8 6298 7500, fax +61 8 6298 7501 or email admin@wkt.com.au.