Planning process underway for new silver project
Wednesday November 11, 2009
Department of Primary Industry and Investment (DPI) officers are considering an application for a new silver mining project south of Cobar.
Cobar Consolidated Resources (CCR) has recently lodged its Conceptual Project Development Plan with the department for its Wonawinta prospect.
The company released its September quarterly report recently detailing its work to date at the prospect, with company secretary Trevor Shard saying the project is looking more positive than ever before.
“After consideration by the DPI, the plan will be forwarded to the NSW Department of Planning who will assess the permitting pathway,” Mr Shard reported.
He said in the past quarter the company has continued to build on a scoping study carried out in 2008.
“The results of various aspects of the feasibility study appear likely to improve the assumptions made in the scoping study and therefore enhance the project economics,” Mr Shard said.
He said CCR has identified a number of ways to improve mining costs including in-pit dumping of some waste, the use of scrapers instead of excavators to mine the waste, and a lower strip ratio based on an optimised mine design.
“A trial pit is being considered to demonstrate the viability of the mining method,” Mr Shard said.
The company has been working to identify the project’s power and water requirements, with metallurgical test work revealing positive results.
“The ability to operate at high viscosity levels would reduce the project’s water requirements,” Mr Shard said.
“The test work has produced higher than expected silver recoveries of 92 to 93 per cent by cyanide leaching.
“Leaching tests have been undertaken at viscosity levels up to 50 per cent without any loss of silver recovery,” Mr Shard said.
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