Australian-headquartered miner Alara Resources has completed the commissioning and commenced first concentrate production from the Al Wash-hi – Majaza copper-gold mine in Oman.
Mine production is expected to ramp up over the coming two to three months toward a goal of 1 million tonnes annually. The miner said shipping of the first sale, about 1,000 dry metric tons of copper concentrate to Trafigura, will be seen in April.
“Before introducing copper ore to the processing plant all major equipment was commissioned through a series of tests, including a trial run with basaltic rock. All systems were found to be functioning correctly, with only a technical issue with the tailings filter press still being resolved. This issue is not impeding production at planned levels, however,” MD Atmavireshwar Sthapak said.
“This [commencement] represents the culmination of 12 years’ hard work, from project site identification through resource definition, detailed engineering studies, debt and equity financing and the construction phase just completed.”
The Al Wash-hi – Majaza mine is owned and operated by Alara’s 51% joint venture company, Al Hadeetha Resources (AHRL).
Source: Alara Resources