MUSCAT: A copper mine launched recently in Oman’s North Al Sharqiyah Governorate has also begun to yield modest, but heartening, quantities of associated gold – helping buoy export revenues for the Omani-Australian joint venture behind the project.
Last month, Muscat-based Al Hadeetha Resources LLC celebrated the maiden shipment of copper concentrate from its Al Wash-hi Majaza mine in the Wilayat of Al Mudhaibi. Shipped to markets in China, the consignment comprised 156 metric tonnes of copper, underscoring the promising potential of the mine.
Importantly, the shipment also yielded six kilos of gold, affirming the presence of commercially extractable quantities of the precious metal associated with copper ore deposits in Oman.
Galvanised by the success of its inaugural shipment, Al Hadeetha Resources is now gearing up to dispatch its second consignment via Sohar Port and Freezone. As with the first cargo, the next shipment – slated to depart Sohar Port on June 24, 2024 - will be loaded into containers for ease of handling and security during transportation. Shipment Number 2 is estimated to weigh around 1,200 wet metric tonnes, according to the company.
Global commodities group Trafigura is the offtaker of copper concentrate from the Al Wash-hi Majaza project under an agreement signed with Al Hadeetha Resources committing all output for a period of eight years from the start of production. Pricing is based on the official London Metal Exchange cash settlement quotation for Grade A copper at the time of delivery.
In a statement, Al Hadeetha Resources – 51% owned by Australian mining firm Alara Resources – also announced that progress is being made in repairing a malfunctioning ‘Tailing Filter Press (TFP)’, which is keeping the concentrator plant from operating at its optimal capacity. A technical team representing the Italian equipment manufacturer is at site evaluating options to repair the faulty component. Furthermore, the company is weighing a proposal for procuring a new unit as a backup.
Al Hadeetha’s newly installed copper concentrator plant has a capacity to process 1 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of copper ore.
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