Mining Intelligence and News
South Africa

Prieska Mine

Click for more information
Australia

Prieska Mine

Location: 50 km SW from Prieska, South Africa

Project Contacts:

Dunkeld Court 16 North Rd, Dunkeld West, Randburg
Johannesburg
South Africa
2196

Contacts:

Additional Resources for Suppliers & Investors

Categories

Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StageRestarting
Commodities
  • Copper
  • Zinc
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
  • Longhole open stoping
  • Drift & Fill
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotThe strategy to bring Prieska Copper Zinc Mine (PCZM) is advancing rapidly, with trial mining of the supergene sulphide orebody successfully completed. Trial mining has provided key inputs into the updated Bankable Feasibility Study (BFS) for PCZM.

Whilst previously open pit mining was evaluated for the deposit (release 26 May 2020), underground mining for the +105 Level Resource is now being considered as an optimisation alternative, with underground trial mining to commence in coming time at this fully permitted mine.

Key underground portions of the PCZM mine dewatering mechanical and electrical infrastructure successfully installed in June 2024.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
BEE 30 % Indirect
Orion Minerals Ltd. 70 % Indirect
The Mining Right is held by Prieska Copper Zinc Mine (Pty) Ltd (PCZM) (formerly Repli Trading No. 27 (Pty) Ltd), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Orion Minerals Ltd. Orion effectively holds a 70% interest in the project.

Prieska Copper Zinc Mine is 30% owned by HDSAs, including 20% by black entrepreneurs, 5% by staff through an Employee Trust and 5% by host communities through a Community Trust.

Contractors

Lock

- subscription is required.

SourceSource

Deposit type

  • VMS

Summary:

The Prieska Deposit is a VMS-style deposit, with mineralisation defined along 2.4km of a northwest-southeast trending strike extent and down to a depth of 1.25km. Mineralisation of Cu, Zn, silver (Ag) and gold (Au) is in massive sulphides distributed as a persistent lens within gneiss rock assemblages.

Satellite deposit potential has been demonstrated with recent intersections of sulphide mineralisation at Ayoba, 5km from the proposed Prieska ore processing plant. Further afield, available historical data and recent exploration work by Orion has confirmed the existence of numerous follow-up massive sulphide Cu-Zn-rich targets within the nearby mineral tenements also held by Orion.

The mineralised zone outcrop has a strike of 2,400m, is oxidised and / or affected by leached and supergene enrichment to a depth of approximately 100m and crops out as a well- developed gossan. It has a dip of between 55° and 80° to the northeast at surface and a strike of 130° to the north. Current drilling indicates that the Deep Sulphides has a strike length of at least 2860m in depth.

The thickness of the mineralised zone exceeds 30m in places but averages between 7m and 9m. The mineralised zone persists to a depth of 1,100m (as deep as 1,228m in one section) after which it is upturned due to the folding.

Reserves

Lock

- subscription is required.

Mining Methods

Lock

- subscription is required.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Lock

- subscription is required.

Processing

Lock

- subscription is required.

Production

CommodityProductUnitsLOM
Copper Concentrate kt 1,125
Copper Metal in concentrate M lbs 498
Zinc Concentrate kt 1,302
Zinc Metal in concentrate M lbs 1,499
Zinc Equivalent Metal in concentrate t 1,644,000
Copper Equivalent Metal in concentrate t 386,000

Operational metrics

Metrics
Annual processing capacity  ....  Subscribe
Ore tonnes mined, LOM  ....  Subscribe
Tonnes processed, LOM  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2020 study.

Production Costs

CommodityAverage
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Zinc Equivalent  ....  Subscribe
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Copper Equivalent  ....  Subscribe
Assumed price Zinc  ....  Subscribe
Assumed price Copper  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2020 study / presentation.

Operating Costs

CurrencyAverage
Combined mining costs ($/t milled) AUD  ....  Subscribe
Processing costs ($/t milled) AUD  ....  Subscribe
Total operating costs ($/t milled) AUD  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2020 study.

Project Costs

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Initial CapEx $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Sustaining CapEx $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
OP/UG OpEx $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Processing OpEx $M AUD 373.7
G&A costs $M AUD 142.5
Total OpEx $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Income Taxes $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Royalty payments $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Gross revenue (LOM) $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Net revenue (LOM) $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax NPV @ 8% $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax NPV @ 8% $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscribe
After-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscribe
After-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscribe

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jan 7, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jan 7, 2025

Total WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required 2019

Aerial view:

Lock

- subscription is required.