Mining Intelligence and News
Czech Republic

Cinovec Project

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StagePermitting
Commodities
  • Lithium
  • Tin
  • Tungsten
  • Potash
Mining Method
  • Longhole open stoping
Backfill type ... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotCinovec Project is the largest hard rock lithium deposit in Europe, the fourth largest non-brine deposit in the world and a globally significant tin resource.

On 29 January 2024, the Company announced the granting of an extension to all four Cinovec Exploration Licences. These licenses fully cover all three granted Preliminary Mining Permits ("PMP's") comprising the Cinovec Project.

On 27th March 2024, the Company shared an update regarding the Cinovec Project’s Definitive Feasibility Study ("DFS"). Recent engineering and environmental efforts as part of the DFS process have identified key areas for potential improvements in lithium processing. Geomet's management team, working with DRA Global, is currently assessing these areas. This review is crucial to the enhancement of economic and social outcomes for the project.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
European Metals Holdings Ltd. 49 % Indirect
Severoceské doly a.s. (SDAS) 51 % Indirect
Geomet s.r.o. (operator) 100 % Direct
The operator of the project is Geomet s.r.o controls the mineral exploration licenses awarded by the Czech State over the Cinovec Lithium/Tin Project. Geomet s.r.o is owned 49% by European Metals and 51% by CEZ a.s. through its wholly owned subsidiary, SDAS.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Greisen hosted
  • Vein / narrow vein

Summary:

Cinovec is a granite-hosted tintungsten-lithium deposit.

Late Variscan age, post-orogenic granite intrusion tin and tungsten occur in oxide minerals (cassiterite and wolframite). Lithium occurs in zinnwaldite, a Li-rich muscovite.

Mineralization in a small granite cupola. Vein and greisen type. Alteration is greisenisation, silicification.

The Cinovec Deposit strikes northsouth, is elongated, and dips gently south parallel to the upper granite contact. The surface projection of mineralization is about 1km long and 900m wide.

Mineralization extends from about 200m to 500m below surface.

Country rocks in the Cinovec area comprise Proterozoic metamorphic complex muscovite-biotite orthogneiss and paragneiss, Lower Palaeozoic phyllite and epiamphibolite and partly migmatised muscovite-biotite paragneiss. These sequences are overlain and cut by the Teplice Rhyolite, composed of extrusive and partially intrusive rhyolite, dacite and ignimbrite and associated tuff with arkosic and Mid-Carboniferous coal interbeds. A thick north-south trending dyke of syenogranite porphyry up to 2km wide intrudes along or near the contact between the eastern gneisses and the Teplice Rhyolite; smaller dykes and masses are found elsewhere within the Teplice Rhyolite and basement rocks.

Cinovec is a greisen deposit.

The Cinovec tin-tungsten-lithium deposit is intimately associated with the cupola of the CinovecZinnwald granite, and comprises:

- irregular metasomatic greisen and greisenised granite zones from several tens to hundreds of metres thick that follow, and are located near or at, the upper contact of the cupola. Greisen comprises quartz and zinnwaldite with or without topaz, with irregular admixtures of sericite, fluorite and adularia-K feldspar;

- thin, flat greisen zones enclosing quartz veins up to 2m thick. Both the greisen and veins parallel the intrusive contact of the cupola, dipping shallowly to the north, south and east. Ore minerals are cassiterite (tin oxide), wolframite (tungsten oxide),scheelite (calcium tungstates) and zinnwaldite (lithium mica). In the greisen, disseminated cassiterite predominates over wolframite, while in veins wolframite is roughly equal to, or more abundant than, cassiterite;

- steep quartz veins with wolframite.

The Cinovec mineralised system represents a world-class example of a Sn/W/Li + rare earth metal district which spans the Czech-German border and is part of the larger Erzgebirge metallogenic region.

Previous mining at Cinovec, although extensive, concentrated on the high-grade vein mineralisation which in the Main part of the deposit has been predominantly exhausted. However, the mineralisation identified at Cinovec South remains relatively untouched and comprises veins as well as the more ubiquitous greisen mineralisation.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

CommodityUnitsAvg. Annual
Lithium t 29,386
All production numbers are expressed as hydroxide.

Operational metrics

Metrics
Annual ore mining rate  ....  Subscribe
Annual production capacity  ....  Subscribe
Annual processing capacity  ....  Subscribe
Ore tonnes mined, LOM  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2022 study.

Production Costs

CommodityUnitsAverage
Cash costs LiOH USD  ....  Subscribe
Cash costs LiOH USD  ....  Subscribe
Assumed price LiOH-H2O USD  ....  Subscribe
Assumed price Tungsten USD  ....  Subscribe
Assumed price Tin USD  ....  Subscribe
Assumed price Potash USD  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2022 study / presentation.
** Net of By-Product.

Operating Costs

Currency2022
UG mining costs ($/t milled) USD 25.5 *  
Total operating costs ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2022 study.

Project Costs

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Initial CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Sustaining CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Total CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax NPV @ 8% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscribe
After-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscribe

Required Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNamePhoneEmailProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 24, 2023
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....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 17, 2019
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ........... Subscription required ........... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 24, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 24, 2023
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Aerial view:

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