https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Tabba Tabba commissioning suspended for engineering assessment

Tabba Tabba commissioning suspended for engineering assessment

Photo by Bloombeg

14th January 2016

By: Esmarie Iannucci

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Australasia

  

Font size: - +

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Pilbara Metals has suspended the commissioning of its Tabba Tabba tantalite project, in Western Australia, to allow for an engineering assessment to be undertaken.

The company said on Thursday that during the commissioning process, which started in December, the operations team identified areas of the plant that required modification and rectification to allow the plant to run at optimal design levels.

These included the ball mill and the coarse recovery section of the plant.

Pilbara noted that while the repairs and modifications were not considered major, they had prevented the plant from achieving design throughput and a representative recovery rate during the commissioning phase.

As a result, Pilbara had suspended commissioning activities to allow an engineering assessment, with the assistance of independent consulting engineers, in order to identify the most timely and cost effective way to implement the required changes.

At this stage, the company was unable to provide a timeframe for the remedial works.

Executive director Neil Biddle said on Thursday that the company would work to resume commissioning at Tabba Tabba as soon as possible, while continuing to focus on advancing its Pilgangoora lithium tantalum project towards development.

The Tabba Tabba project was expected to produce about 365 000 lb of tantalum over a 19-month mine life.

The plant was designed, constructed, installed and, until now, operated by Pilbara’s former joint venture partner Valdrew Nominees, trading as Nagrom & Co.

Biddle said that Pilbara was moving to terminate its operating agreement with Nagrom & Co, and was also in discussions with this party over the cost of any modifications that would be required as a result of the current review. Pilbara was considering its available legal options to recover these costs.

Edited by Mariaan Webb
Creamer Media Contract Publishing Editor

Article Enquiry

Email Article

Save Article

Feedback

To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here

Showroom

ALBIS FLANGES (Pty) Ltd
ALBIS FLANGES (Pty) Ltd

ALBIS FLANGES — founded in 1965 — is a petro-chemical approved manufacturer of flanges and fittings in most grades of steel, listed with Sasol,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Sulzer Pumps (SA) (Pty) Ltd
Sulzer Pumps (SA) (Pty) Ltd

Sulzer South Africa, established in 1922, partners with critical industries like power, oil & gas, water, mining, and chemicals to boost...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







301

sq:0.051 1.18s - 140pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now