Tag Archives: uranium

ALTA retains metallurgical innovation focus for 2019 event

23rd April 2019Base metals, Energy minerals, Environmental, Metallurgy, Mineral processing, Mining events, Precious metals, Water managementAlan Taylor, ALTA, ALTA 2019, copper, CSIRO, Curtin Universiry, gold, in-situ recovery, ISR, metallurgy, nickel, pressure acid leaching, uraniumDaniel Gleeson

The organisers of ALTA are gearing up to welcome the international metallurgical community to Perth, Western Australia, with the annual conference now just a month away.

ALTA has developed a reputation as a leading technical metallurgical-oriented event, attracting senior industry representatives from around the globe. The conference had a record attendance last year and is hoping to hit new heights in 2019.

ALTA 2019, to be held on May 18-25 at the Pan Pacific Perth, promises to continue the tradition of delivering high-quality technical content for professionals from the metallurgical and related sectors, the organisers said.

Conference Founder and Chair, Metallurgical Consultant Alan Taylor, said: “For the past 23 years, this event has provided a dynamic forum for sharing ideas, innovations, technologies and projects. Both ALTA and the industry have come a long way since our first conference in 1995, but our focus on the importance of metallurgical innovation remains the same.”

The emphasis of the program is practical rather than academic, and the themes running through the conference are the various aspects of technology and project development. “Each session has been carefully crafted to provide the best value for delegates and includes an insightful and authoritative keynote address,” the organisers said.

Taylor said: “Over many years, the conference has evolved to meet the demands of the industry. For example, in recent years, the program has been expanded to include the current hot topics of lithium processing, and in-situ recovery (ISR) and to reflect the rapidly developing field of battery metals.”

The event now incorporates separate dedicated sessions for nickel-cobalt-copper, uranium-rare earths, gold-precious metals, ISR and lithium processing.

The organisers said: “Panel discussions and Q&A are a major highlight of ALTA events, providing a unique opportunity for knowledge sharing, discussion and debate with highly-experienced professionals. Following the conference, detailed notes are published for the benefit of the wider industry and are provided via the ALTA Free Library.”

The signature nickel-cobalt-copper combined sessions are spread over three days, encompassing segments on battery metals, laterite processing, leaching process development and other key topics. The highlight of the sessions is the Pressure Acid Leaching (PAL) Forum and Panel Q&A, which acknowledges the 20th anniversary of the commissioning of the landmark Bulong, Cawse, and Murrin Murrin nickel-cobalt PAL projects, according to the organisers.

The uranium-REE sessions, organised in co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (Austria), for the fifth year, are held on May 23. They feature a Developments in IX Forum and Panel Q&A.

ALTA has partnered with Curtin Gold Technology Group (Perth) for the Gold-PM sessions, also on May 23, with The Forum and Panel Q&A focussed on fit-for purpose leaching systems, ALTA’s organisers said.

On the final day of the conference, the ISR sessions will run in parallel with the lithium processing sessions, each offering its own panel discussion, “providing a rare opportunity for open discussion and debate”.

The ISR sessions are organised in partnership with CSIRO (Perth), which will lead the Forum and Panel discussion on Enhancing ISR Permeability. The Novel Lithium Processes Forum and Panel Q&A is already attracting international interest, according to organisers.

By popular demand, this year’s ALTA will also introduce additional flexibility for attendees by including single-day and corporate shared registrations options, the organisers said, on top of a short course program. The latter three practically-oriented short courses are presented by Alan Taylor, who draws from his extensive first-hand experience gained in 40-plus years with major engineering firms and as an independent consultant.

“The courses, a valuable introduction for newcomers and a useful refresher for old hands, typically attract a highly-international audience,” the organisers said, adding that the 2019 courses cover nickel-cobalt laterites, copper SX/EW and heap leaching of copper, gold, uranium and nickel.

The organisers said this year’s exhibition area has been expanded to meet increased demand, with the floor boasting Australia and international exhibitors.

Mitchell to keep drilling south at BHP’s Olympic Dam copper-gold-uranium mine

28th March 2019Base metals, Energy minerals, Mine operation news, Mineral exploration, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, Steel and iron oreBHP, contract drilling, copper, gold, Mitchell Services, Olympic Dam, South Australia, uraniumDaniel Gleeson

Mitchell Services has been awarded a contract extension at BHP’s Olympic Dam copper-gold-uranium mine in South Australia, which means it will continue with its underground drilling work until April 2020.

Under the varied terms of the deal, which comes on the back of a sustained period of strong drilling performance, the company will provide up to eight underground rigs and will continue to play “an integral part in BHP’s plans to expand into the high-grade southern area of the mine as part of a broader growth strategy at Olympic Dam”, it said.

Mitchell previously announced a material contract extension and scope increase in relation to its underground drilling contract back on September 5. This highlighted that the company would provide up to seven underground rigs and that the contract would be extended to April 2019.

In its latest results, BHP reported that underground operations continue to progress into the Southern Mine Area of Olympic Dam, with record development kilometres achieved and the mine’s third decline becoming fully operational in the December quarter of 2018.

GoviEx Uranium and Windiga sizing up hybrid solar power solution for Madaouela

1st February 2019Energy minerals, Environmental, Mineral project development, Mining services, Power supply for minesalternative energy, GoviEx Uranium, Govind Friedland, hybrid solar power, Madaouela, mine power, Niger, renewables, uranium, Windiga EnergyDaniel Gleeson

GoviEx Uranium has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Windiga Energy that could see the company’s flagship Madaouela project in Niger use a dedicated and renewable hybrid solar power solution.

Initial discussions and collaboration between the company and Windiga will target energy solutions for Madaouela with the intent to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 20,000 t/y and provide sustainable, renewable power at approximately 25% lower cost than traditional coal-fired options currently available in Niger, GoviEx said.

GoviEx Chairman, Govind Friedland, said: “We are pleased to begin exploring cleaner energy alternatives to power our future development activities in partnership with Windiga.”

The company has requested that Windiga determine the feasibility of a solution to power the Madaouela project and the surrounding local community through a hybrid power plant combining photovoltaic solar panels and diesel generators, with total installed capacity of at least 20 MW.

Under the terms of the MOU, following a favourable result from a feasibility study, GoviEx will have an opportunity to negotiate a power purchase agreement for the priority supply of electricity for an initial term of 21 years, extendible at the request of GoviEx.

Windiga is Canadian energy developer focused on developing, owning and operating renewable energy facilities and off-grid smart power systems on the African continent.

The proposed base case for Madaouela envisages a 2.69 Mlb/y U3O8 yellowcake production rate, a 93.7% ultimate recovery and an 18-year mine life. Initial capital costs were estimated at $359 million, with total life of mine capital costs at $676 million, cash operating costs of $24.49/lb U3O8 excluding royalties, and $31.49/lb U3O8 including royalties.

Denison Mines aims to bring ISR mining to Athabasca Basin uranium sector

25th September 2018Energy minerals, Environmental, Metallurgy, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining project newsAthabasca Basin, Cameco, Canada, Denison Mines, jet bore mining, uranium, Wheeler RiverDaniel Gleeson

The prefeasibility study on Denison Mines’ Wheeler River uranium project, in the Athabasca Basin of Canada, has brought with it a significant change in the mining process for the high-grade Phoenix deposit.

Denison is now considering the use of in-situ recovery (ISR) mining at Phoenix, a lower cost method than the previously considered jet bore system, which requires freeze wall protection and is used at Cameco’s Cigar Lake mine.

The PFS envisages co-developing both the Phoenix and Grypon deposits using two different mining methods. The former would use ISR, with the latter using conventional long-hole underground mining.

Taken together, the project is estimated to produce 7.8 MIb/y of U3O8 over a 14-year mine life, with a base case pre-tax net present value (8% discount rate) of C$1.31 billion ($1.01 billion), and initial pre-production capital expenditures of C$322.5 million.

This is based on a probable reserve of 109.4 MIb averaging 3.5% U3O8. Of this amount, 59.7 MIb comes from Phoenix, which has an average grade of 19.1% U3O8.

David Cates, President and CEO of Denison, said: “The selection of ISR mining for the high-grade Phoenix deposit is a defining moment for our company and a potentially transformational development for the future of uranium mining in the Athabasca Basin – bringing the world’s lowest cost uranium mining method to the jurisdiction hosting the world’s highest-grade uranium deposits.”

Denison said the selection of ISR mining at Phoenix came after considering 32 alternate mining methods to replace the high-cost jet bore mining system assumed for the Phoenix deposit in the 2016 preliminary economic assessment.

“The suitability of ISR mining for Phoenix has been confirmed by significant work completed in the field and laboratory – including drill hole injection, permeability, metallurgical leach, agitation, and column tests,” the company said.

Results demonstrated high rates of recovery in both extraction (+90%) and processing (98.5%) following a simplified flowsheet that precipitates uranium directly from the uranium bearing solution, without the added costs associated with ion exchange or solvent extraction circuits, Denison added.

“Given the unique geological setting of the Phoenix deposit, straddling the sub-Athabasca unconformity in permeable ground, the project development team has combined the use of existing and proven technologies from ISR mining, ground freezing, and horizontal directional drilling to create an innovative model for in-situ uranium extraction in the Athabasca Basin.

“While each of the technologies are well established, the combination of technologies results in a novel mining approach applicable only to deposits occurring in a similar geological setting to Phoenix – which now represents the first deposit identified for ISR mining in the Athabasca Basin.”

Wheeler River is a joint venture between Denison (63.3% and operator), Cameco (26.7%), and JCU (Canada) Exploration Company (10%).

The PFS assumes initial construction activities will commence in 2021 and that first production will be achieved from the Phoenix operation by mid-2024. Initial construction is expected to commence at Gryphon by 2026 and first production from Gryphon is expected to be achieved in 2030.

SRK and SGS Bateman to run the feasibility numbers at GoviEx’s Madaouela uranium project

19th September 2018Energy minerals, Environmental, Mineral exploration, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining project news, Mining servicesGoviEx Uranium, Madaouela, Niger, SGS Bateman, SRK Consulting, uraniumDaniel Gleeson

SRK Consulting and SGS Bateman have been awarded for their previous work for GoviEx Uranium, with the two set to carry out a feasibility study on the company’s ’s Madaouela uranium project in Niger.

The two companies were part of the team that completed the prefeasibility study and environmental permitting work on Madaouela, with GoviEx saying both have considerable experience in uranium and African project development.

Chairman Govind Friedland said: “We are excited to commence this next stage in the development of the Madaouela project. GoviEx has steadily and actively focused on value accretion for our projects while staying in tune with the state of the market; our appointment of SRK and SGS corresponds with a recovering uranium market price. GoviEx will continue to advance our projects with discretionary spending commensurate with improving market fundamentals.”

Further recovery and cost optimisation will be the focus of the feasibility study, GoviEx said.

The key highlights from the prefeasibility study were a mineral resource of 111 Mlb U3O8 in the measured and indicated categories, and 28 Mlb U3O8 in the inferred category, probable reserves of 60.54 Mlb U3O8, forecast uranium recovery of 93.7%, annual production of 2.69 Mlb U3O8 for 21 years at a cash cost of $24.49/Ib, and start-up capital expenditure of $359 million.

Since the publication of this study, the company has added 11.67 MIb U3O8 in the measured and indicated categories (of which 5.96 Mlb relates to the open-pit amenable Miriam deposit) and 9.35 Mlb U3O8 in the inferred category, plus developed a potential process design that could improve project economics (membrane separation).

The Madoauela project is around 10 km south of the town of Arlit and Orano Mining’s mining subsidiaries of Cominak and Somair, in north-central Niger. Deposits are hosted within sandstones of the Tim Mersoi Basin. The mine permit was approved in January 2016, with environmental approval gained in July 2015.

Wood to scope out Angularli uranium project in Australia

3rd September 2018Energy minerals, Metallurgy, Mineral exploration, Mineral project development, Mining servicesAngulari, Rio Tinto, scoping study, uranium, Vimy Resources, Wood PlcDaniel Gleeson

Wood has been contracted by ASX-listed Vimy Resources to carry out the engineering scoping study for the Angularli uranium project in the Northern Territory of Australia.

Work has already commenced on the study, with completion expected by the end of the year, Vimy said.

Angulari is located in the King River-Wellington Range tenement group and owned 75:25 by Vimy Resources and a subsidiary of Rio Tinto. It currently has an inferred resource of 910,000 t at 1.3% U3O8 for 26 MIb of contained uranium.

The conceptual mine development approach for Angularli to be used as a basis for the scoping study (pictured) is similar in approach to the historical Nabarlek mine, 65 km from Angularli. Nabarlek operated successfully in 1980-1988 and produced 24 Mlb of uranium oxide from 550,000 t of ore at an average grade of 1.84% U3O8. It has since been successfully decommissioned and the site fully rehabilitated.

Metallurgical test work on Angularli is currently underway at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and will be completed this month. Results to date have shown uranium extraction of 98.5% at a sulphuric acid consumption of 14 kg/t, and an oxidant consumption of 1.4 kg/t hydrogen peroxide.

Metallurgical studies on drill core obtained during the resource estimate have also indicated there is potential for the direct precipitation process to be technically feasible at Angularli, while the ore may also be amenable to ore sorting.

Mike Young, managing director and CEO of Vimy Resources, said: “The high-grade nature of the Angularli deposit provides us with the opportunity to develop a Tier One asset, with the potential to be profitable in any uranium market.”