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Spain

Valtreixal Project

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Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StagePermitting
Commodities
  • Tungsten
  • Tin
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotAlmonty is continuing to carry out work on the Valtreixal project and is working towards a final decision on proceeding with the development of the project. Almonty continues to fine-tune its planning and budgeting for the potential build-out and commissioning of the Valtreixal Mine.

During June 2020, the Company received, from the Municipality of Pedralba de la Paraderia in Spain, a new land classification for its Valtreixal Property whereby the property is now deemed to be suitable for extraction activity.

This new land classification will now allow the Company to complete the mining permitting process and to move forward with the completion of an open-pit mine plan for the property.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Almonty Industries Inc. 100 % Indirect
Valtreixal Resources Spain S.L (operator) 100 % Direct
Valtreixal Resources Spain S.L., an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Almonty Industries Inc., owns a 100% interest in the Valtreixal tin and tungsten mine project.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Vein / narrow vein

Summary:

The local Valtreixal stratigraphy in the Valtreixal area is dominated by 3 main formations, all of which broadly strike SW-NE, and dip at approximately 80o to the south- east.

a) Schists - Capas de los Montes. Very stratified and transformed by regional metamorphism, with intercalated quartzites, and marked at the base by conglomerates. Thickness approximately 1000m.

b) Quartzites - Peña Goda/Culebra. Alternating with a variety of types and colours of intercalated schists. Thickness approximately 50- 70m.

c) Slates – Pizarras de Luarca. Pelitic series of siliceous slates, phyllites and schists. This formation hosts most of the mineralisation at Valtreixal. High frequency of segregated quartz veins and schist bands sometimes rich in sulphur. Overall thickness approximately 300-600m.

Much of the mineralisation, especially scheelite, is situated away from the quartz veins and appears to be stratabound. Tin, in the form of cassiterite, occurs in and around the quartz veins. The Valtreixal linear mineralised zones appear, in a general sense, to be confined to specific stratigraphic intervals and there appears to be a degree of separation into tin and tungsten zones. Because of the stratabound nature of the mineralised zones within a shale basin some may consider a sedimentary, syngenitic origin for the tungsten mineralisation to be plausible.

The Valtreixal tungsten (scheelite) and tin (cassiterite) mineralisation exhibits two principal modes of occurrence within southeast dipping, weakly schistose Ordovician shale in the Hercynian (Variscan) tectonic belt. Irregular quartz veins cut the moderately steeply southeast dipping shale and may have associated tin and tungsten mineralization especially where the veins are brecciated and the adjacent wall rock has been altered to sericite schist.

In places it was observed that minor amounts of white kaolin clay had developed by schist alteration. It is notable that mica, probably muscovite coats some surfaces of the glassy quartz fragments and minor open spaces may indicate incipient, vuggy greisen development. It is postulated that originally the quartz veins developed along fractures in the country rocks.

Subsequently, the possible intrusion of a hypothetical granite body at depth provided a heat source to drive a hydrothermal system, brecciating the quartz veins. Any such granitic or other heat source was sufficiently deep so that the shale, seen at Valtreixal, is beyond the granitic metamorphic aureole. Strong hydro-fracturing and concomitant seismic activity may have created temporary weakness along the laminated shale allowing lateral migration of mineralising solutions away from the brecciated veins or other sources for a considerable distance.

The shale is relatively impervious to solution penetration across the bedding by absorbing stress and by yielding more plastically. High pressure fluids may have ruptured many of the rigid quartz veins. The country wall rock adjacent to the brecciated quartz vein is metamorphosed to sericite schist. In general the shale, based on visual and textural features, is considered to be in the low, chloritic metamorphic range.

The mineralisation at Valtreixal can be classified as a complex vein deposit. The tin mineralisation, in the form of cassiterite, is hosted by a mixture of individual veins, veinlets and vein swarms, generally with the same overall dip and dip direction. The distribution and width of veins can be quite erratic within localised areas.

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

CommodityUnitsLOM
WO3 t 3,567
Tin t 2,035
All production numbers are expressed as metal in concentrate.

Operational metrics

Metrics
Annual milling capacity 500,000 t *
Stripping / waste ratio 8.2 *
Waste tonnes, LOM 8,477,958 m3 *
Ore tonnes mined, LOM 2,559,459 t *
Total tonnes mined, LOM 9,469,935 m3 *
* According to 2015 study.

Production Costs

CommodityUnitsAverage
Assumed price Tin USD 10.5 / lb *  USD
Assumed price WO3 USD 28,800 / t *  USD
* According to 2015 study / presentation.

Operating Costs

Currency2024
OP mining costs ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe
Processing costs ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe
G&A ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe
Total operating costs ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2015 study.

Project Costs

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Total CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
OP OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Processing OpEx $M USD 24.9
G&A costs $M USD 8.3
Total OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Gross revenue (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Operating margin (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax NPV @ 10% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax NPV @ 6% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscribe

Required Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 4, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 4, 2024

Aerial view:

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