Mining Post Namibia

Askari Metals Limited says the samples collected at its Uis project in the Erongo region of Namibia show positive results for tin, tantalum, lithium and rubidium. The ASX-listed company said on Feb. 6 that 162 rock chip samples were collected and showed evidence of mineralization, including spodumene, lepidolite, and cassiterite.  According to Askari, which owns the exclusive prospecting licence 8535 covering 308.12 km2, the samples also contained coloured tourmalines. Five samples showed lithium content greater than 3%, and eight showed more than 1%.  Results for tin mineralization were also excellent, with one sample containing 3.2% tin and ten samples containing more than 0.24%.  Results for tantalum were highly positive, with 42 samples showing more than 100 parts per million (ppm) tantalum and two samples over 1,000 ppm.  Results for rubidium were also strong, with some samples containing up to 7,980ppm Rb.  Askari vice president for geology and exploration Johan Lambrechts said t

Eight reputable institutions from Europe, North America and Africa want to fund the construction of Canadian company Osino Resources' Twin Hills Project in Namibia. In a statement dated Feb. 3, Osino said it appointed Terrafranca Capital Partners Ltd to advise on and progress the debt financing workstream.  Terrafranca is a leading independent financial advisor working mainly with junior African mining companies. The Vancouver-based gold explorer says it will select its preferred financing partners in the next few months while working on the completion of the definitive feasibility study expected by June 2023.  Osino Resources co-founder and chief executive officer Heye Daun said choosing the appropriate financing partners is an important next step for Osino.  The Amended and Restated Pre-Feasibility Study dated effective Sept. 6, 2022, signed Oct. 25, 2022, shows that the Twin Hills Gold Project has 2.15 Moz in reserves and a 13-year open-pit mine life. The average annual gold pro

Graphite miner Gratomic Inc. has raised US$6m for general working and operating capital for its Aukam Project in Namibia. The TSXV-listed company announced the closure of the first tranche of a non-brokered private placement offering of up to 20 million working capital units or short-term capital at US$0,30 each. Initially, Gratomic offered 4,348,984 working units and raised US$1,304,695.20.  A working unit consists of one common share and one common share purchase warrant. Shareholders are entitled to buy more for US$0.45 until Feb. 1, 2025. Gratomic chief executive officer Arno Brand said the placement is designed to compensate for minor cost overruns experienced during Covid and supply chain volatility that continues to trouble the world.  "With the successful completion of this offering, we foresee a smooth transition into production at the Aukam Graphite project in Namibia," Brand said. The Aukam Project is in the Karas region and has been operating since 1940 until 1956

De Beers Group says Namibia diamond production in 2022 increased by 51% to 0.6 million carats. The leading diamond company released its production report for the 2022 fourth quarter on Feb. 2. The report covers operations in Botswana, Canada, South Africa and Namibia. De Beers is in a 50/50 joint venture in Namibia with the government in Namdeb Holdings. There are two companies in Namdeb Holdings, an offshore entity, Debmarine, and Namdeb, an inland diamond miner. According to De Beers, the increase in diamond production in Namibia was driven by the continued strong performance of the Benguela Gem vessel and the treatment of higher-grade ore at the land operations. Debmarine acquired the US$420m custom-built Benguela Gem in early 2022. At the time, the company announced that the Bengeula Gem would add about 500 000 carats, an increase of 45%. The report also said De Beers produced 8,2 million carats of rough diamonds. This was an increase of 6%. In Botswana, De Beers partners with the

Namibia's Hyphen Hydrogen has so far signed offtake agreements to supply 1 050 000 tons of green ammonia annually. The latest agreements signed on Feb. 2 involve the South Korean hydrogen producer, Approtium, and Industrial group. Approtium wants to buy 500 000 tons while Industrial Group seeks to buy 250 000 tons per year. On Dec. 2, 2022, Hyphen Hydrogen signed the first agreement with the German green energy company RWE to supply 300 000 tonnes of green ammonia annually starting in 2027.  Hyphen Hydrogen targets to produce one million tonnes annually by 2027 and increase it to two million tonnes by 2029.  The company aims to supply the produced green ammonia domestically in Namibia and southern Africa and export it to international markets, with the goal of decarbonizing energy. The Namibian government chose Hyphen Hydrogen Energy as the preferred bidder in the US$10 billion green hydrogen project that targets 300 000 metric tons of green Hydrogen production a year from 5-6GW of

ASX-listed Deep Yellow says the Tumas project in Namibia can produce approximately 2.4 million pounds of uranium per annum over a 20-year mine life, with an average production cost of US$25.21/lb over the life of the mine. Deep Yellow released its definitive feasibility study (DFS) on Feb. 2, estimating theTumas Project's pre-tax net present value at US$386 million and an internal rate return of 21.6%.  The Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) has improved upon the outcome of the Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) by increasing the production capacity of the plant from 3 million pounds to 3.6 million pounds of U3O8 and the throughput from 3.75 million to 4.15 million, despite a 26% increase in initial capital due to inflation and COVID impacts. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been completed in compliance with Namibian government regulations by a third party and after consulting with government and community stakeholders. Further consultation with stakeholders in three towns wil

Askari Metals has started a mapping and sampling program at its Uis Lithium Project in Namibia.  The Uis Lithium Project is near Uis town and the Uis Tin-Tantalum-Lithium mine.  The project covers 308.12 km2 and has more than 150 mapped pegmatites, many of which have been mined historically for tin and semi-precious stones. The company has engaged Earthlab Technical, a professional mining and exploration geological consulting firm, to complete the mapping and sampling program.  The mapping program on exclusive prospecting licence 7345 is the first phase of Askari Metals' exploration plan for the project. After the completion of the mapping, the geological team will move to exclusive prospecting licence 8535, a few kilometres to the west, to apply the same scope of work to the second mapping program.  The project aims to identify various pegmatites, their mineralization tenor, and the relationship between the host lithology, pegmatite type, and mineralization.  Concurrently with the

  ASX-listed miner Golden Deeps Limited has reported the results of their quarter ended December 31, 2022. During the quarter, the company completed 8 diamond drillholes at their Khusib Springs project in Namibia. The drilling was done to test for extensions and repeats of the high-grade Khusib Springs copper-silver orebody. The initial results of the drilling program were outstanding, including a 90m copper-silver intersection, a second footwall zone of high-grade zinc mineralization, and a shallow high-grade zinc-silver intersection. The company also conducted a moving loop electromagnetics and a natural source audio-magnetotelluric survey. In addition, the company made significant progress on their two-stage study into the development of their near surface, high-grade vanadium with copper, lead, zinc, and silver deposits. Gravity test work on a bulk sample produced exceptionally high-grade vanadium-zinc-lead concentrate grades, and a high-grade composite sample was generated for Pha

Celsius Resources Limited, which has a 95% interest in Opuwo Cobalt-Copper Project in Namibia, started trading its ordinary shares on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) owned by the London Stock Exchange on 31 Jan. The Australian company is also listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). The listing on the AIM follows an announcement Celsius Resources Ltd made in Dec. 2022. The company says the admission follows a placing by SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP for 299,375,000 ordinary shares at 0.8 pence per ordinary share, raising gross proceeds of £2.4 million before expenses. SP Angel is an independent partnership providing creative investment banking solutions to investors and growing companies. According to the company, three million of the ordinary shares will be subscribed and issued to director Jonathan Colvile, subject to Australian shareholder approval.  Celsius appointed Colvile as a non-executive director in Jan. 2022. The ordinary shares issued after the admission

Trigon Metals has acquired more land measuring 5 614 hectares for N$1 750 000 to expand their landholding around Kombat Mine in Namibia. The company announced on 30 Jan. that the three-year definitive deal involves land covered by the exclusive prospecting licence 8529 owned by the Otjiwa Mining and Prospecting CC. Trigon will pay a cash price of N$1 750 000, and another N$250 000 will be paid in Trigon shares. The agreement is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval from the mines minister to transfer the licence from Otjiwa to Trigon Mining and the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.  "The licence surrounds Trigon’s Kombat and Gross Otavi projects in the Otavi Mountainland, a region associated with high-grade copper and silver mineralization," Trigon Minerals said. The company added that the exclusive prospecting licence 8529 is located in the Grootfontein District of the Otjozondjupa Region, between the towns of Otavi to the west and Grootfontein to t

  Petroleum Commissioner Maggy Shino told the Invest in African Energy reception in London on Jan 26 that the Kudu gas project is ready for investments. Organised by the African Energy Chamber, the reception saw energy stakeholders from Africa making cases for investments in their countries. After Shell and TotalEnergies reported discovering oil in the Orange Basin, Namibia is currently at the centre of world attention. The companies reported a combined 835 million barrels from the Graff-1 and venus-1X wells. In her Namibia: Beyond Venus and Graff presentation, Shino said, “Kudu is the only field able to give you the solutions you need. The product is ready. It will give you a clean energy solution amid the energy transition.”  The 50-year-old Kudu Gas project has changed hands and is now operated by BW Kudu. It is believed that Kudu has about 600 billion cubic feet of natural gas reserves and could produce about 64 million cubic feet per day when it reaches its peak. “The beauty of Na

The Namibian environment ministry has granted Osino Resources Corp a three-year environmental clearance certificate for the Twin Hills Gold Project. Osino will, however, have to relocate the historical graves within the Twin Hills project area after the mines and environment ministries recommended that any archaeological materials be reported to the National Heritage Council for review, guidance and management. The Canadian company says a process is underway to secure the necessary consent to relocate the graves to the satisfaction of Namibia's National Heritage Council. Now that Osino has received the environmental certificate, it needs to implement a 5% non-carried minority interest for local shareholders and achieve the 20% customary affirmative action quota for management. The company must also submit a strategy for adherence to the Namibian government's poverty alleviation and socio-economic upliftment strategy of especially disadvantaged population groups.  Osino still ha

  Andrada Mining chief executive officer Anthony Viljoen says his company  contributed over N$143m to the Namibian economy and funded over N$185,000 in community projects. The Canadian company released its first sustainability report on 26 Jan., setting out policies, management approach to sustainability and performance data for 1 March 2021 to 28 Feb. 2022. The report covers Andrada's mining projects in the Erongo region - the Uis mine, Nai-Nais, B1C1 and Brandberg. Uis has tin with the potential for lithium and tantalum, while Nai-Nais has tin and lithium. B1C1 has tin and tantalum and Brandberg has tin, tungsten and copper. "Our total procurement spend for the reporting period was in excess of N$294m, of which N$143m or 49% was spent across more than 250 Namibian businesses," Viljoen says.  Andrada employs 128 Namibians at the Uis Tin Mine, while contractors employ an additional 187 people, most of who are women. The company says it offered health safety and emergency

Osino Resources, which owns the Twin Hills project in Namibia, will increase salaries for workers who earn N$6 000 (about US$353) and below by 8%. The gold explorer will also increase the salaries of those earning N$6 000 and above by 6,7%. Furthermore, Osino will pay N$1 200 (about US$71) in housing allowance. Osino management and the Mineworkers Union of Namibia agreed on this in October 2022. The parties also agreed to find a suitable medical aid provider to start by July 2023. The Mineworkers Union of Namibia Erongo regional coordinator George Ampweya said the agreement serves as an example to other employers regardless of industry and should encourage negotiating parties to foster conducive collective bargaining processes. Ampweya also said as a trade union, the Mineworkers Union of Namibia remained cognisant of the global economic situation. "We have a fiduciary responsibility to our members to ascertain dignified and decent working conditions, including a safe and conducive

Canadian graphite miner Gratomic Inc. has signed a deal with Graphex Technologies to produce anode material for the EV/battery. Gratomic owns the Aukam graphite mine in southern Namibia,  the Buckingham mine in Quebec, Canada and mineral claims in Capim Grosso in Brazil. Graphex owns processing facilities in Asia and is developing a site in Warren, Michigan, USA, designed to produce 15,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of battery anode material.  The company announced on Jan. 25 that the non-binding letter of intent entails Gratomic supplying raw materials to Graphex Technologies. On its part, Graphex would provide all the technology, plans and expertise for building and operating the plant(s). The statement says the partners intend to diligently and in good faith negotiate the terms of a joint venture, including management and ownership structures, to produce coated spherical graphite anode material for the EV/battery market.  Gratomic wishes to emphasize that the supply of graphite is condi

The Australian green energy company Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) and Enersense Energy Namibia (EEN) agreed to work together on developing green hydrogen and green ammonia for the Daures Green Hydrogen Village project in Namibia. Fortescue Future Industries is leading the green industrial revolution, developing technology solutions for hard-to-decarbonise industries. The Daures Green Hydrogen Village is in the Daures constituency in the Erongo region. The village has been targeted for the green hydrogen project to be Africa's first net zero village. The German Federal Ministry of Research and Education and the Namibian government have funded the Daures Green Hydrogen Village project’s first phase, which consists of more than 1 MW of renewable energy and 500 kW electrolyser. When fully operational, the Daures Green Hydrogen project intends to supply a vegetable greenhouse and various agricultural research projects in partnership with the University of Namibia and the University

Bannerman Energy managing director and chief executive officer Brandon Munro said the company is moving on to start work designed to culminate in a targeted final investment decision on Etango-8 during the second half of this calendar year.  The final investment decision is when a company approaches potential investors to consider buying shares in a project. The Australian uranium miner reported a landmark quarter on Jan. 23 about the completion of the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for the 8 million tons per annum (Mtpa) development of its flagship Etango-8 Uranium Project in Namibia.  The Etango-8 DFS completed in December 2022 confirms the solid technical and economic viability of conventional open pit mining and heap leach processing deposit at 8Mtpa throughput.  According to the DFS, Etango-8 is a technically robust and highly economical mine project that warrants development. The Etango-8 development is based on an initial Ore Reserve of 59.9 Mlbs U3O8, compared with Measured

Trigon Metals expects to restart operations at Kombat Mine open pit in the second quarter of this year after completing drilling. The Canadian company said on Jan. 23 that contractors and several new key geological personnel are already on-site. Kombat Mine stopped operating in August 2022 when Trigon said it wanted to revise its plan to reduce costs. Trigon also said work has started on sizing and picking underground equipment in preparation for the commencement of underground mining in 2024. "Analysis of the flooded shaft is underway utilizing submersible cameras. We are pleased to report the shaft is in excellent condition, and pumps are being ordered to commence drainage," the company said. A new geological team comprising project coordinator  Juandre Farmer,  mining engineer  Dag Kullman,  senior resource geologist  Augustinus Mungunda, and   senior exploration geologist  Hilaria Shatona  was announced.  Farmer is a Namibian citizen who recently graduated from the Namibi