Feb 18, 2013 The Zanaga joint venture (JV) iron-ore project in the Republic of Congo, has reached the feasibility stage, which should be completed by the second quarter of 2014. The feasibility study follows a positive prefeasibility study (PFS) on Zanaga, which was completed in November 2012, and includes the mining convention negotiation process and enivironmental- and social-impact assessment. The PFS, reported in accordance with the Joint Ore Reserves Committee (Jorc) code, has already confirmed sufficient ore reserves to support the planned production of 30-million tons a year of high-grade 68% iron content pellet feed product over a 30-year life-of-mine, which will be transported to the coast through a 380 km slurry pipeline. The Zanaga project is focused on the development and construction of an iron-ore mine, as well as related processing, transport, port and electricity infrastructure at $2.348-million, $1.194-million, $603-million and $717-million respectively. The Zanaga iron-ore deposit will be developed as an openpit mining operation that will excavate haemetite and magnetite ores, which will be processed and upgraded to 68% iron-ore concentrate. The concentrate will be transported through a slurry pipeline for more than 300 km to an iron-ore terminal and deep-water port near Pointe Noire, in the Republic of Congo, where it will be dewatered before being shipped to the global seaborne iron-ore market at a cost of $23/t, which would make the project one of the lowest cost producers in the world, says Trahar. In addition to the mine development, the JV has identified a site for the development of a port, about 9 km from the established deep-water port of Pointe Noire. The port will initially involve the development of a 30-million-tons-a-year capacity jetty, with the option to expand this to 60-million tons a year.
FéV