Total Graphite PLC (LSE:TGR, OTCQX:TGRHF) announced it has appointed mining engineer Graeme Chester to lead preparations for restarting its Vatomina graphite operation in Madagascar at more than 1,000 tonnes per month from January 2027.
Chester, who has around 50 years of experience across mining, construction and project management, will oversee plant optimisation, infrastructure upgrades and other operational-readiness work over the coming months. He previously carried out the site review that identified opportunities to improve production and efficiency.
Diamond drilling is also continuing to strengthen confidence in the mineral resource and support mine planning. Seven holes have been completed so far, with the company reporting promising intersections of graphitic mineralisation, although assay results remain pending.
An independent geologist is reviewing the initial findings and helping design the continuing drill programme ahead of an August site visit. SRK previously estimated an exploration target of 18–20 million tonnes at 4% graphitic content, complementing Vatomina’s existing 6Mt resource grading 3.8%.
