Copper 360's underground development at the flagship Rietberg Mine in South Africa has advanced beyond the halfway mark of the 544‑metre decline to the 300 Level orebody, with ore intersection expected within 90 days.
It said once ore is reached, the operation will transition from waste to on‑ore development, with run‑of‑mine production expected to build to about 700 tonnes per day – sufficient to fill the capacity of the company's MFP2 processing plant.
The development, supported by a mining alliance with Cementation Africa which commenced mobilisation on 1 July, has continued in line with the mine plan.
Concurrently, the company will develop a haulage decline down to 350 Level, opening up additional mining headings to sustain and grow production beyond the initial build‑up.
“Passing the halfway mark on schedule, with ore intersection targeted for September, demonstrates the momentum now established at Rietberg,” said Copper 360 transitional chief executive Gordon Thompson.
“Within weeks of intersecting the orebody, we expect to be feeding our MFP2 plant to capacity — the point at which our mining and processing strategy comes together.”
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor-In-Chief, Rough & Polished
