Overview
Stage | Construction |
Mine Type | Underground |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
- Longhole stoping
- Transverse stoping
- Longitudinal retreat
- Cemented backfill
- Paste backfill
|
Production Start | ...  |
Mine Life | 8 years (as of Jan 1, 2023) |
Federation Project is one of the highest-grade base metal development projects in Australia. The Federation deposit hosts high-grade zinc, lead, and gold mineralisation and remains open at depth.
On 10 October 2022, the Federation Mine Feasibility Study was released. In April 2023, the Aurelia Metals provided an update, which further refined the Feasibility Study and delivered an improved path to production, lower capital expenditure, along with an updated mine design to increase operational efficiency.
Project development will involve the underground mining of the Federation deposit for treatment through established processing circuits at Peak and Hera sites.
The Federation Project is currently under construction with development ore expected in 2024. |
Source:
p. 114,134
Company | Interest | Ownership |
Aurelia Metals Ltd.
|
100 %
|
Indirect
|
Hera Resources Pty Ltd
(operator)
|
100 %
|
Direct
|
Hera Resources Pty Ltd ,a wholly owned subsidiary of Aurelia Metals Limited, owns and operates the Federation Project.
Contractors
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Deposit Type
- Breccia pipe / Stockwork
- Vein / narrow vein
Summary:
The Federation deposit is located on the eastern margin of the Palaeozoic Cobar Basin, an intracratonic basin within the Lachlan Orogen. Mineralisation at Federation is epigenetic and structurally controlled with several steeply dipping vein breccia/massive sulphide lenses developed in the centre of a broad northeast-southwest striking corridor of quartz–sulphide vein stockwork mineralisation. The mineralisation is hosted by fine-grained sedimentary rocks and is best developed within open upright anticline closures in areas of strong rheology contrast imposed by early stratiform alteration.
Massive sulphide and sulphide breccia base metal mineralisation is typically zinc-rich and associated with intense cross-cutting black chlorite alteration in the lower parts of the known deposit, with silica-sulphide dominant infill in the upper parts. Late bedding-parallel faults have been identified that may have caused some brittle offset within the system. These structures possibly started as extensional faults and could have focused hydrothermal fluids during alteration and mineralisation.
Mining Methods
- Longhole stoping
- Transverse stoping
- Longitudinal retreat
- Cemented backfill
- Paste backfill
Summary:
The selected mining method is longitudinal retreat longhole stoping where the deposit is narrow, and transverse longhole stoping where the deposit is wider. Stope voids will be backfilled to maximise ore recovery and maintain excavation stability, primarily using pastefill in longitudinal stopes, primary transverse stopes, and in areas of poorer ground conditions. Unconsolidated rockfill (URF) and cemented rockfill (CRF) will be used as backfill material prior to the pastefill plant being available.
Haul trucks will transport ore from the underground mine to a surface ROM ore pad adjacent to the boxcut. Ore will be crushed on surface at the Federation site and transported to the Peak and Hera process plants.
Ore transport by on-highway trucks to fully utilise capacity at the Peak process plant, after which the balance of mined ore will be treated through the Hera process plant. At full production, higher value ore will be processed at Peak with lower value ore to be treated through the Hera plant
Stockpiled surface waste rock will be back-loaded into underground dump trucks for haulage and placement into stope voids when waste generation from development mining cannot satisfy URF and CRF backfill placement demand.
Various level spacings and stope strike lengths were adopted to account for variable ground conditions and dominant geological structures. The typical stope height is 30m floor to floor with a 25m stope strike length. In ........

Flow Sheet:
Source:
Haul trucks will transport ore from the underground mine to a surface ROM ore pad adjacent to the boxcut. Ore will be crushed on surface at the Federation site and transported to the Hera and Peak process plants using on-highway trucks.
Surface infrastructure at the Federation site: surface crushing plant (two stage crushing circuit).
Peak plant
Feed rate to the SAG mill is around 104 tph. SAG mill discharge feeds onto a double deck vibrating screen with a 16 mm top deck screen aperture size and 2 mm bottom deck aperture size. Plus 16 mm material reports to a scats (critical size material) pile where it is returned to the grinding circuit feed using a loader. Minus 2 mm material is pumped to three Knelson concentrators.
The Knelson tail is combined with the -16 mm +2 mm material from the vibrating screen and pumped to a bank of hydrocyclones. Cyclone underflow reports to a ball mill for further grinding. Ball mill discharge combines with SAG mill discharge.
A second regrind mill will be installed to improve the separation and recovery of lead and zinc minerals.
Hera Plant
Grinding - Verti and tower mills and Stirred Media Detritor.
Flow Sheet:
Summary:

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Reserves at June 30, 2023:
Ore Reserve estimate utilises A$80/t NSR cut-off for development and A$175/t NSR cut-off for stoping.
Mineral Resource Estimate utilises A$120/t NSR cut-off mineable shapes that include internal dilution.
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Probable
|
2,400 kt
|
Zinc
|
9 %
|
|
Probable
|
2,400 kt
|
Lead
|
5.3 %
|
|
Probable
|
2,400 kt
|
Gold
|
1.4 g/t
|
|
Probable
|
2,400 kt
|
Silver
|
6 g/t
|
|
Probable
|
2,400 kt
|
Copper
|
0.3 %
|
|
Indicated
|
3,700 kt
|
Zinc
|
9 %
|
330 kt
|
Indicated
|
3,700 kt
|
Lead
|
5.4 %
|
200 kt
|
Indicated
|
3,700 kt
|
Gold
|
1.1 g/t
|
130 koz
|
Indicated
|
3,700 kt
|
Silver
|
6 g/t
|
730 koz
|
Indicated
|
3,700 kt
|
Copper
|
0.3 %
|
15 kt
|
Inferred
|
1,100 kt
|
Zinc
|
8.9 %
|
100 kt
|
Inferred
|
1,100 kt
|
Lead
|
5.3 %
|
60 kt
|
Inferred
|
1,100 kt
|
Gold
|
0.2 g/t
|
7 koz
|
Inferred
|
1,100 kt
|
Silver
|
6 g/t
|
220 koz
|
Inferred
|
1,100 kt
|
Copper
|
0.2 %
|
3 kt
|
Total Resource
|
4,800 kt
|
Zinc
|
9 %
|
430 kt
|
Total Resource
|
4,800 kt
|
Lead
|
5.4 %
|
260 kt
|
Total Resource
|
4,800 kt
|
Gold
|
0.9 g/t
|
140 koz
|
Total Resource
|
4,800 kt
|
Silver
|
6 g/t
|
950 koz
|
Total Resource
|
4,800 kt
|
Copper
|
0.3 %
|
15 kt
|
Commodity Production Costs:
| Commodity | Units | Average |
Assumed price
|
Lead
|
USD
|
......
|
Assumed price
|
Zinc
|
USD
|
......
|
Assumed price
|
Gold
|
USD
|
......
|
* According to 2023 study / presentation.
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2023 Study Costs and Valuation Metrics :
Metrics | Units | LOM Total |
Pre-Production capital costs
|
$M AUD
|
......
|
Total CapEx
|
$M AUD
|
......
|
Pre-tax Cash Flow (LOM)
|
$M AUD
|
......
|
Pre-tax NPV @ 7%
|
$M AUD
|
......
|
Pre-tax IRR, %
|
|
......
|
Pre-tax payback period, years
|
|
......
|
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Source:

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Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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