Name of the Project
Savannah nickel project.

Location
Western Australia.

Project Owner/s
Panoramic Resources.

Project Description
An updated mine plan based on an updated ore reserve has confirmed an attractive, near-term nickel sulphide mine restart opportunity.

The updated reserve at Savannah, which includes Savannah North, comprises 8.3-million tonnes grading 1.23% nickel, 0.59% copper and 0.08% cobalt for contained metal of 102 000 t of nickel, 48 500 t of copper and 7 000 t of cobalt. The ore reserve underpins an estimated 13-year mine life.

Mine scheduling has been adjusted to ramp up ore production to 960 000 t/y as quickly as possible. Ore sourced from Savannah North underpins the potential restart strategy, with scheduling of ore from Savannah remnants limited to a maximum of 25 000 t a month.

The new mine plan envisages average production of 8 810 t/y of nickel, 4 579 t/y of copper and 659 t/y of cobalt in concentrate over 12 years.

The mining methods used in the life-of-mine plan are in line with the previous operation, as a top-down, longhole open stoping mining method using paste fill is implemented. This mechanised, nonentry method has proven to be a safe, productive mining method at Savannah.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has a pretax net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of A$262-million and an internal rate of return of 67%.

Capital Expenditure
Not stated.

Planned Start/End Date
Rhe project was commissioned in October 2021.

Latest Developments
Panoramic Resources has continued to increase production at its Savannah nickel operations, following commissioning in October 2021.

Mined ore tonnage from Savannah increased by 42% quarter on quarter, to 108 266 t, while the tonnage of ore milled increased by 20%, to 148 709 t. Concentrate production in the March quarter increased by 57% on the December quarter, to 17 498 t, containing 1 256 t of nickel, 802 t of copper and 81 t of cobalt.

The increase in production during the March quarter was supported by the easing of border restrictions in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, which increased labour availability from 70% to nearly 90%.

The increased availability of underground operators has resulted in the mining sequence reverting to a more balanced profile between underground development and stope ore production to support the ramp up to steady-state operations as planned, the miner has said.

Savannah continued to operate in the March quarter in the precommercial production phase of its development where the mining and processing operations are ramping up to commercial levels, and total site expenditure for the quarter was A$41.1-million.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Entech (updated mine plan) and Braminco (underground mining contract).

Contact Details for Project Information
Panoramic Resources, tel +61 8 6266 8600 or email info@panres.com.