Mining Intelligence and News
Mozambique

Moma Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeSurface
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Ilmenite
  • Zircon
  • Rutile
  • Heavy Minerals
Mining Method
  • Dredging
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Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotMoma Mine is one of the largest titanium minerals deposits in the world. 7% of global titanium feedstocks are produced at Moma.

Mining is principally undertaken using dredges which float in artificial mining ponds. Kenmare has three mining ponds where dredges mine titanium-rich sands. These dredges pump the mineral sands that form the wall of the pond into a floating Wet Concentrator Plant (WCP). A Heavy Mineral Concentrate (HMC) is produced, which is then pumped to the nearby Mineral Separation Plant (MSP).

In 2023 the Board approved the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for the transition of WCP A to the Nataka ore zone. WCP A will complete its current mine path in Namalope in late 2025 and commence its move to Nataka. Project execution for the Nataka transition began in 2023, with contracts signed for key long lead-time items, such as two new high-capacity dredges.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Kenmare Resources plc (operator) 100 % Indirect
Kenmare Resources plc operates the Moma Titanium Minerals Mine. The mining operations at the Moma Mine are carried out by the Mozambique branch of Kenmare Moma Mining (Mauritius) Limited and downstream processing is undertaken by the Mozambique branch of Kenmare Moma Processing (Mauritius) Limited, both of which are wholly-owned subsidiary undertakings of the Company.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Sedimentary
  • Mineral sands

Summary:

Kenmare’s large mineral resource base at Moma is sufficient to support production at current rates for more than 100 years and comprises of Namalope, Congolone, Nataka and Pilivili deposits.

Mineralisation at Namalope is hosted in coastal, shallow marine sediments and dune sands. Several phases of deposition are evident, with the main mineralised units focussed around the north-eastern end of a major dune feature which has evidently formed a trap for heavy minerals.

The earliest concentration of HM is in a very large dunal feature, approximately 50km long, 10km wide and 100m high. This dune has been subjected to moderate weathering and is now red-brown in colour and is generally known as the “Old Red Dune”.

The mineralisation of the Congolone deposit is hosted in clean recent dune sands which are formed up against and in places overlie, the Old Red Dune sands. The recent dune sands are tan to yellow in colour, well sorted and low in slimes content. The Old Red Dune contains some mineralisation as well and has a pronounced seaward facing escarpment on its SE side. At the base of the escarpment is a well defined strandline containing the highest grades.

Mineralisation at Nataka is hosted in dune sands forming part of a very large dunal feature, approximately 50km long, 10km wide and 100m high, located 2.5 – 3km inland from the Mozambique Coast. This dune has been subjected to moderate weathering and is now red-brown in colour and is generally known as the “Old Red Dune” or “Deck Sands’. Local geology Unit 2 forms the host unit for the mineralisation with HM concentrated in a thick, planar body approximately 10km by 3km in the northern half of the dune west of the Namalope orebody. HM grade is diffuse with relatively low variability and the host unit extends from surface to base of the dune pile. There is some evidence of reworking on the northern side of the dune where it terminates against the Larde River flood plain. Slimes content varies both laterally and vertically with a trend to higher slimes toward the base of the deposit and on the northern side of the deposit.

Pilivili resource is a strand line deposit within the progradational sediments between the Old Red Dune in the North Northwest, and the current coast. Mineralisation is hosted in low lying swampy sands, and within the frontal coastal dunes. The mineralised sands are tan to yellow in colour, well sorted, fine grained, with moderate to low slimes content.The Old Red Dune forms the North North-western ridge of the edge of the deposit, and there is a pronounced escarpment in this unit on its seaward SE-facing side. At the base of the escarpment is a well-defined strandline containing the highest grades of the deposit. Underlying the base of the ore there is weathered basalt/andesite with thin layers of intermittent grits and clays at the interface.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Production

Zircon concentrate include secondary zircon and mineral sands concentrate.
CommodityProductUnits2024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Ilmenite Mineral in concentrate t  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe892,900958,500998,200903,300763,500
Zircon Concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe4028
Zircon Mineral in concentrate t  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe46,90048,40074,00068,20051,800
Rutile Mineral in concentrate t  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe8,3008,2009,1007,8006,000
Heavy Minerals Concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,2021,3711,3231,4061,101
^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics202320222021202020192018
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe36,803,800 t33,961,000 t
Annual production capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Production Costs

CommodityUnits202320222021202020192018
Cash costs Ilmenite USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 81 / t **   79 / t **  
** Net of By-Product.

Financials

Units20242023202220212020201920182017
Capital expenditures (planned) M USD  ....  Subscribe
Capital expenditures M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 68.5  
Sustaining costs M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 23.7  
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 270.9   262.2   208.3  
Operating Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Pre-tax Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
After-tax Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 44.8   19.4  
EBITDA M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 92.6   93.3   59.6  
Operating Cash Flow M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 76.4  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameEmailProfileRef. Date
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EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required 2023
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Aerial view:

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