Bezant Resources PLC (AIM:BZT) has hosted an all-parties technical visit to review the Hope and Gorob project in Namibia, leading to consensus on the best way to optimise project development and more specifically the lodging of a mining licence application.
Lead engineering consultant Practara has developed a number of recommendations to be adopted aimed at including near-surface mineralisation into the resource model.
Project design engineers Nurizon will review plant layout specifically to offer multiple options for presentation to the Namibian authorities for consideration.
Further guidance will be provided by specialist Namibian environmental consultants, Namisun Environmental Projects and Development, managing a consortium of local experts given the responsibility for environmental impact assessment documentation.
Plant design consultants will embark on high-level design based on feedback from the company and consultants in regard to project throughput, ore types, scheduling and life of mine.
The ongoing 2,000 metre drill programme will focus on twinning historic drill holes to provide invaluable geological data, the completion of initial geotechnical logging for engineering purposes, including the siting of infrastructure and underground development, collection of drill core for detailed metallurgical test work, and drilling to intersect near-surface copper-gold oxide potential and to refine the geological model.
"The team had very productive site meetings and discussions with all stakeholders,” said Colin Bird, executive chairman of Bezant.
“The outcome was that the project presents significant opportunity over and above previously considered mining plans. Our work suggests that an open pit working oxides and transition materials may well be possible and as such we are fast tracking determination of the presence, mineralisation style and metallurgical suitability for leaching or similar process. What did impress the group was the apparent occurrence of significant gold workings that were reported as exploratory but appear in actual fact to have been exploited by previous artisanal mining.”
A coordinated programme of action has been implemented by Bezant aimed specifically at the completion of scoping studies, preliminary design and the expansion and upgrade of the mineral resource model all aimed at the near-term submission of a mining licence application.
The Hope copper-gold project is located in central Namibia approximately 100km to the south west of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. The project covers a significant portion of the highly prospective Matchless copper belt.