Battery Minerals is gearing up to start the development of its Montepuez graphite project.
The development follows its $20-million over-subscribed capital raising, the appointment of the lead design engineer and ordering of the primary crusher.
“The primary crusher has a capacity of more than twice Montepuez’s requirements, giving it ample ability to meet the company’s needs for the planned expansion in 2020,” said David Flanagan, Executive Chairperson at Battery Minerals.
He said the crusher would be delivered at a significant discount to quotes received, as part of the value engineering study completed last month.
DRA and Minnovo have been appointed lead design engineers to complete the detailed design work on the process plant for Montepuez, and an order placed for a 1.3-million-tonnes-a-year primary crusher, which is already under construction and expected to arrive on site in March.
Battery Minerals is progressing its detailed grade control drilling to underpin daily mining plans ahead of obtaining the mining licence in December 2017, the final approvals in the March quarter and the scheduled construction start in April.
Mine commissioning is expected during the December quarter of 2018, with first graphite concentrate exports scheduled for the March quarter in 2019.
