Volt to update Tanzanian graphite study

ASX-listed Volt Resources has started a feasibility study to update Stage 1 of its Bunyu graphite project, in Tanzania.

The graphite producer on Monday said that it would update the processing, infrastructure and logistics for the Stage 1 study, which was initially released in 2018, and would also update capital and operating cost estimates.

Volt would also re-examine other study aspects, including regulatory requirements, marketing and sales, financial analysis, project risks and environmental, social and community requirements.

The 2018 Stage 1 study was based on a mining and processing plant with a throughput rate of 400 000 t/y of ore, to produce an average 23 700 t/y of graphite products, estimating a capital cost of $31.8-million to deliver.

The Stage 1 project is aimed to establish Volt’s market position and infrastructure to support the development of the larger Stage 2 expansion project, which would increase production to 170 000 t/y of graphite product annually.

“Completing an updated feasibility study for Bunyu Stage 1 will provide us with a current estimate of what the project will cost to deliver and what its economic returns will be. Many factors have changed since the existing study in 2018 and it is important we account for these as we move ahead with its development,” said Volt MD Trevor Matthews.

“With existing production and scalable opportunities from our long-life Zavalievsky graphite operations in Europe, I look forward to the outcomes of this update so that we can continue to progress the development of Bunyu as part of our future graphite supply and position Volt as an integrated supplier of battery anode and other battery products to lithium-ion battery and other battery technologies in the US and Europe.

SOURCE: MINING WEEKLY