Tartana Minerals plans to bring a new open-pit copper mine online near Chillagoe by the end of the year after locking in a deal to process ore at the mothballed Mungana plant.
It is targeting an output of 5000-10,000 tonnes of copper in concentrate in the first year for sale to third-party smelters.
Tartana Minerals today announced it had signed a binding heads of agreement with Mt Garnet Mineral Finance to facilitate that processing arrangement and future options involving other tenure the firms hold in the Chillagoe region.
Mt Garnet Mineral Finance is mortgagee in possession of the assets of failed Mungana plant operator Aurora Metals and its related Aurora Group subsidiaries (all in liquidation).
“This is an exciting time for our company as the venture enables Tartana and MGMF to develop and process Tartana primary copper resource to generate a cash flow and, in the future, be able to assess all our projects in the Chillagoe region,” Tartana Minerals managing director Stephen Bartrop said.
“The open-pit optimisation and mine plan for the Tartana open pit have been completed and Mungana (refurbishment) review is well advanced as well as liaising with the various Queensland Government departments.
“The plan is to commence production in the second half of 2025.
“Meanwhile Tartana has continued to produce copper sulphate pentahydrate during the wet season which is the first time despite access limitations.
“However, the end of the wet season is approaching and access to the mine will return to normal.”
Related: Tartana on a roll with copper sulphate operation
MEC Mining is completing the mine plan and production scheduling for the mine, about 150km west of Cairns.
A team of experts led by Maxitool Mining Group operations manager Andre Cuthbertson is reviewing the Mungana plant, which last operated in July 2023.
A separate team has been reviewing the Mungana plant to assess the refurbishment work required to commence production.
Tartana said a specialist electrician had also ‘bump started’ many of the items and provided a separate report identifying areas where further work is required of an electrical nature.
Meanwhile the company has designed a drilling program to target an increase in the copper resource at Tartana, which stands around 45,000 tonnes contained copper.
In addition to the planned Tartana copper mine, a range of development opportunities is open to the new venture.
These include Tartana’s Queen Grade zinc open pit and the potential integration of the nearby King Vol underground mine.
Other nearby Tartana projects include the Nighflower silver site, Ok copper mine, and the Cardross copper-gold project, while MGMF-controlled projects include the former Mungana underground mine, Griffiths Hill copper-gold site, Girofla lead-silver site, Red Cap copper project and the Red Dome gold-copper project.
It is envisaged that a committee of MGMF and Tartana representatives will be established to oversee operations and approve the development of selected projects over time.
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