Sandfire Resources Limited has achieved a significant milestone at its Motheo Copper Mine in Botswana, confirming that the rapid and cost-effective expansion is on time and within budget.
The shutdown required to connect the ball mill and other facilities needed to raise processing capacity to 5.2Mtpa is now complete, and wet commissioning is well underway. On 18 December 2023, the first ore was processed through the ball mill, with plant stability rising over the next few days. Motheo’s expansion is proceeding on track and within budget, with the ramp-up to the expansion 5.2Mtpa pace set to take place in Q3 FY24, as planned.
Additionally, Sandfire confirms that pre-strip mining at the A4 open pit began in October 2023, with the first ore expected to be delivered to the Motheo processing facility in Q1 FY25.
“We are particularly pleased to have achieved another important milestone at Motheo before calendar year end and I’d like to thank the entire team for a truly outstanding 2023. Commissioning of the new ball mill sees us move a step closer to achieving the operation’s expanded 5.2Mtpa rate through the first quarter of CY24. While it’s still early days, we look forward to testing Motheo’s full potential having achieved throughput rates that significantly exceeded the operation’s interim 3.2Mtpa nameplate rate across shifts during the December 2023 quarter,” Sandfire CEO Brendan Harris said.
