Lion One Metals Limited has released an update on the Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project in Fiji, reporting that development is currently 75% complete.
Lion One further stated that the project is on schedule to deliver the first gold in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The earthworks and concrete work are nearly finished, with approximately 3,500 m3 of concrete poured to date. The structural steel is 70% done and moving quickly. All components needed to commission the processing plant are on-site, and a team of 350 contractors and workers is working together to complete the project.
Once complete, Lion One intends to run the processing plant at a capacity of 300 tonnes per day for the first 18 months of operation before raising it to 500 tonnes per day in mid-2025. Lion One said it is fully funded to wrap up mine construction and begin production at the Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project before the end of the year.
The site office, the mine changeroom, the mine workshop, the freshwater delivery system, the sewage treatment plant, and the waste rock crusher and screener are all operational and commissioned. The power plant, which will have six 800 KW generators and one 1,500 KW generator for a total capacity of 6.3 MW, is currently under construction.
The Lion One processing plant will use a two-stage crushing process that includes a primary jaw crusher and a secondary cone crusher. The three-conveyor belt system will transport materials between the two crushers and to the processing plant. The jaw crusher, cone crusher, conveyor belts 1 and 2 are all in place, while conveyor belt 3 has been built but has to be hauled into position. Piping and electrical work remains unfinished. ROM pad is in use, with minor improvements needed.
Material is fed into a two-stage grinding and gravity concentration circuit during the crushing process. Concentrates are leached in an intense cyanide leaching reactor, while the remainder are leached in a standard cyanide Carbon in Leach (CIL) reactor. Using ADR technology, gold is extracted from the carbon and smelted on-site to generate gold doré bars. Construction on the circuits, supporting infrastructure, and ball mills, leaching tanks, and Reagent Warehouse 1 is progressing. Electrical and plumbing construction is still in progress.
Tailings from the processing plant will be treated with SO2/air to remove cyanide and filter, resulting in filtered tailings for storage at the TSF. The TSF’s first stage features a 115m-elevated dam and an 18-month-capacity pond. Construction began in June 2022 and is scheduled to be completed in Q4 2023. Other components, such as diversion canals, dam spillways, and liner installation, are also progressing.
Underground mining of the URA1, URW1a, and URW1b lodes is underway, with the main decline reaching a depth of 99.4 metres below the surface and a length of 344 metres. A connection road linking the main decline to the historical exploration decline has been built, measuring 140 metres between the two. On 21 June 2023, the link decline broke through the exploration decrease.
According to Lion One, the completion of the link drive is an essential milestone in the mine’s development since it enables the installation of the Stage 1 primary ventilation system. The ventilation system, consisting of four 55KW exhaust fans, will provide ventilation throughout the mine, enabling mining down to the 500 zone, an essential component of the mine design. The connection drive also allows mining mineralised lodes from both the previous exploratory decline and the main decline, increasing the number of faces accessible and increasing the flexibility of mining operations.
A high-voltage power plant and an underground compressor are also being installed to enable underground mining activities.
