Khoemacau to apply for mining license
Keikantse Lesemela | Thursday June 12, 2014 12:25
“We are ready to start mining as soon as we get licensing. We are looking forward to submitting applications by September. We have five prospecting licenses and only one was renewed last year, which is based in Maun, but now our exploration focus is in the southern part of Botswana,” said Tsimako.
Tsimako said they are expecting to start producing commercially by 2017 at the capacity of 3.6 million tones per annum at 1.6 percent Mtpa. He noted that their main focus is now Zone 5 in the Somelo settlement.
“Right now we are still doing explorations and the mining will take place in 2017, but we are still having challenges of electricity, water and access to road”. However, Tsimako said the total requirement for power is 22 Mva but discussions for power supply are ongoing as the national grid is expected to come on line by 2017/ 2018. He said the sustainable water requirement is 10,000 m3 per day and a sustainable well field has been identified in Kareng.
He said their target production includes 85 percent copper and 80 percent silver while the expected copper concentrate in the mine is 50,000 tonnes per annum with exporting to be done after production.
He explained that the feasibility studies have been done and they are waiting for the Environmental Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) to be approved. “We have conducted a lot of meetings with the affected residents and we are hopeful that after licensing we start construction which might be completed in 2016”, said Tsimako.
Currently the company has two campsites at Tsau main gate and Somelo. The mine is expected to take 15 years production period. The project was acquired by a private company called Cupric Canyon Capital Ltd in 2013, and has now been renamed Khoemacau Copper Mining.
The construction project is expected to employ over 2,000 people. The number will reduce to 800 when the mining starts.