Harmony forges ahead with Eva copper mine plans

Harmony Gold Mining Company has reached the final stages of its feasibility study update for the Eva copper project in North-West Queensland, according to chief executive officer Peter Steenkamp. The company is finalising the mine design using information from its extensive resource drilling program and finalising the process plant flowsheet and technical design, according to its latest quarterly report. Harmony completed 23,000m of drilling for the project last quarter, bringing the total since it acquired Eva in 2022 to more than 106,000m of drilling. "Exploration continues to grow the resource base of the project, underpinning our confidence in Eva as an important and sustainable source of copper for the long-term," Mr Steenkamp said. "Our current declared mineral resource for Eva copper sits at 366 million tonnes at 0.4 per cent copper for 1,472,000 tonnes of copper and 196Mt at 0.07g/t gold for 440,000 ounces of gold." The South African miner acquired the copper-gold project from Copper Mountain Mining in December 2022 and has been carrying out feasibility work since. Its work has led to plans for a larger copper concentrator than contemplated by the previous owners, with milling throughput likely to be up to 18 million tonnes per annum. "Based on that throughput rate, we anticipate the average annual production of copper to be approximately 50,000 tonnes to 60,000 tonnes, at an AISC in the middle of the global industry cost curve, subject to feasibility study outcomes," Mr Steenkamp said. "Given its scale, the project will be a significant consumer of electricity, and we continue to assess options for long-term low-emission power supply, including through the introduction of renewable power generation on site. "Subject to timing and cost, the Queensland Government’s CopperString 2032 transmission line project, connecting the North West Minerals Province in Queensland to the national electricity market, provides potential access to grid power for the project." The company has previously stated that a final investment decision on the project would only be considered once all approvals have been obtained. Related: Harmony welcomes leg-up to bring Eva online "We are working closely with the Queensland Government on preparations to secure the final amendment required for the project which will align the EA (environmental authority) with the feasibility study once it is finalised," Mr Steenkamp said. "The Queensland Government’s $20.7 million grant (announced 30 July 2024), which is subject to a number of conditions including the company reaching a positive final investment decision (FID) by January 2026, has helped accelerate the development of the project. "This has comprised specific preparatory works at site as part of a broader program of activities, including upgrades to site access roads and highway intersection, pioneer camp pad preparation and construction of laydown areas, all of which are progressing well." You may also like: https://industryqld.com.au/red-metal-glow-continues-at-greater-duchess/

Harmony forges ahead with Eva copper mine plans

Industry Queensland

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