The mining methods for the Kakula deposit are drift-and-fill and room-and-pillar. Drift-and-fill represents the majority of the mining for the Kakula deposit. The room-and-pillar area represents just over 1% of the Probable Mineral Reserve and will mainly be used for early ore production while the drift-and-fill areas are being developed.
The Kamoa-Kakula 2020 PEA analyses a production case with an expansion of the Kakula concentrator processing facilities, and associated infrastructure to 19 Mtpa and includes a smelter and eight separate underground mining operations with associated capital and operating costs. The eight mines ranked by their relative net present values are:
• Kakula Mine (PFS 6.0 Mtpa).
• Kansoko Mine (PFS 1.6 Mtpa to 6.0 Mtpa).
• Kakula West Mine (PEA 6.0 Mtpa).
• Kamoa North Mine 1 (PEA 6.0 Mtpa).
• Kamoa North Mine 2 (PEA 6.0 Mtpa).
• Kamoa North Mine 3 (PEA 6.0 Mtpa).
• Kamoa North Mine 4 (PEA 3.0 Mtpa).
• Kamoa North Mine 5 (PEA 1.0 Mtpa).
Mining methods in the Kamoa-Kakula 2020 PEA are assumed to be a combination of the controlled convergence room-and-pillar mining method, drift-and-fill with paste fill mining method, and room-and-pillar mining method.
Room-and-pillar mining issued in the initial mining area of the Kakula deposit. The mining panel width and length limits are determined by production requirements. The height of the panel is from 4.5–6.0 m; the height varies ........
