Originally it was thought that the useful life of the Moma mine would be 20 years. But subsequent discoveries of further reserves have radically changed the forecast, and it is now believed that exploitation of the heavy sands could last for 120 years.
According to Antony Hagarthy, the general director of Kenmare Moma Mining, part of Kenmare Resources, the Irish company that won the Moma concession, the new reserves are in the area of Nantaka, and are larger than those at the locality of Toquito, where the original prospection took place.
Hagarthy, cited in Friday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias", said that Kenmare is prepared to exploit those resources for as long as needed, since the market for the minerals is guaranteed in the United States, Europe and Japan, to feed their aviation industries and the production of paints, ceramics and other products.
Kenmare expects to produce 800,000 tonnes of ilmenite (iron titanium oxide) a year, plus 21,000 tonnes of a second titanium ore, rutile, and 56,000 tonnes of zircon (zirconium silicate).
Ilmenite is mostly used for pigment production, while rutile is useful for high-tech alloys. Zircon's is used for a variety of abrasive and insulation purposes, including in nuclear reactors.
Hagarthy said that exports of the ores will only begin in September, rather than the initial forecast of late July. This delay is because the water at the mineral jetty built for exports is only seven metres deep - not enough for large bulk carriers.
So Kenmare decided to order the construction of a smaller ship from a Singapore shipyard. The current plan is to export 80,000 tonnes of minerals a month in two ships of 40,000 tonnes each.
The factory to separate and process the ores has been built but is not yet operating. Hagarthy said Kenmare was just waiting for a sizeable amount of ore to be mined, so that the factory can function without interruption.
SOURCE: AIM
