Mining Intelligence and News
Botswana

K.Hill Project

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Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StagePermitting
Commodities
  • Manganese
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotOnce in production, the K.Hill Project is expected to be one of the largest producers of battery-grade high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (HPMSM) globally, delivering ethical, sustainable, low-carbon product to the international battery supply chain.

Giyani is constructing the Demo Plant with the capacity to produce up to 600kg a day of HPMSM for offtaker testing and qualification. The Demo Plant is on track for commissioning and production of battery-grade manganese in Q4 2024.

On January 4, 2024, was announced the receipt of the Environmental Authorisation for K.Hill project from the Botswana Department of Environmental Affairs and surface rights approvals from the Kanue Sub Land Board.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Giyani Metals Corp. 100 % Indirect
The K.Hill Project is held through Menzi Battery Metals (Pty) Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Giyani.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Sedimentary
  • Breccia pipe / Stockwork

Summary:

Deposit Types
The manganese mineralisation at the K.Hill Project occurs as a supergene-enriched shale (Mn-shale) within the Black Reef Quartzite Formation.

Local geology
The mineralisation at the K.Hill Project is primarily associated with the upper shale horizon of the Black Reef Quartzite Formation. The quartzite package underlying the shales rests unconformably on Archaean felsites of the Kanye Volcanic Group. The shales in turn are overlain by the chert breccias of the Paupone Dolomite Group, which suggests non-deposition of the intervening dolomites or a massive unconformity. The Kgwakgwe Chert Breccia Formation in the Kanye area can be subdivided into two main varieties:
• a dark-brown chert breccia with milk-white angular chert fragments, cemented together by brown haematitic material
• a reddish-brown chert breccia with abundant jaspilitic fragments and a high content of jasper in the matrix

The Mn-shale horizon extends at surface in outcrop in the north and to the south below surface, where its presence has been intersected in drillholes. To date, the known strike length of the horizon is 1.9 km. The stratigraphy has been duplicated by thrusting in places, and, to the south, the mineralised horizon has been extensively downfaulted by steeply dipping east-north-northeast trending faults. The shales have been intensely folded and slumped in the vicinity of these dislocations, and in addition, subparallel breccia zones and quartz veining may be evident.

The entire Transvaal package is cut out against the Waterberg sediments to the west of Kgwakgwe Hill along what are thought to be northerly trending faults.

The Mn-shale outcrops along the northerly scarp slope of the Kgwakgwe Hill and dips into the hill. The strata at the K.Hill Project dip gently toward the northwest, at an average of approximately 5° to 10°. Numerous outcrops display parasitic folding, with local dips varying from 45° to almost subvertical. This is not consistent with the overall shallow dip of the Mn-shale and adjacent units. Where the deposit outcrops in the north, the Mn-shale unit is kidney shaped. The unit varies between approximately 2 m to 15 m thick, with an average thickness in the order of 4 m and has a delineated extent of approximately 1,900 m north-south and 350 m east-west. Some of the thicker intersections may be local fold duplications of a single horizon. In general, the southern extension area shows greater thicknesses of the mineralisation than in the north.

The outcrop defining the limit of the Mn-shale is well defined in the east, with the areas to the west being partially covered by alluvium and/or exposed by historical surface mining into the hillside.

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

CommodityProductUnitsLOM
Manganese sulfate monohydrate Crystals t 3,560,793

Operational metrics

Metrics
Annual mining capacity  ....  Subscribe
Annual ore mining rate  ....  Subscribe
Annual production capacity  ....  Subscribe
Annual processing rate  ....  Subscribe
Annual processing capacity  ....  Subscribe
Stripping / waste ratio  ....  Subscribe
Waste tonnes, LOM  ....  Subscribe
Ore tonnes mined, LOM  ....  Subscribe
Total tonnes mined, LOM  ....  Subscribe
Tonnes processed, LOM  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2023 study.

Production Costs

CommodityUnitsAverage
Assumed price Manganese sulfate monohydrate USD  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2023 study / presentation.

Operating Costs

CurrencyAverage
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G&A ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe
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* According to 2023 study.

Project Costs

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Initial CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Sustaining CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Closure costs $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Total CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
OP OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Processing OpEx $M USD 5,756
G&A costs $M USD 199
Total OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Income Taxes $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Royalty payments $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Gross revenue (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Net revenue (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
EBITDA (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
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Pre-tax NPV @ 5% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax NPV @ 10% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax NPV @ 8% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax NPV @ 5% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax NPV @ 10% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax NPV @ 8% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
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Required Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 31, 2023
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Aerial view:

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