Name of the Project
Bunyu graphite project.

Location
Tanzania.

Project Owner/s
Critical minerals and advanced materials company Volt Resources.

Project Description
Bunyu is one of the biggest graphite deposits in the world, with a resource of 461-million tons at 4.9% total graphitic carbon for 22.6-million tons contained graphite. The project includes a proven reserve of 127-million tons at 4.4% total graphitic carbon.

The project will be developed in two stages.

An updated feasibility study on Stage 1 published in August 2023 proposes a mining and processing plant throughput rate of 400 000 t/y of ore to produce on average 24 780 t/y of graphite products over a 13.7-year mine life.

Volt intends to progress to Stage 2 to leverage the platform established by Stage 1, and Bunyu’s status as one of the biggest graphite resources globally, to dramatically scale production to 170 000 t/y and help meet the forecast global increase in demand for graphite products.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The updated PFS delivers a pretax net present value of $58.9-million and an internal rate of return of 31.5%, with a payback period of 2.9 years.

Capital Expenditure
The updated PFS has estimated a capital cost of $33.1-million, compared with the $31.8-million estimated in the 2018 PFS.

Planned Start/End Date
Not stated.

Latest Developments
Strategic partner negotiations are ongoing to progress Stage 1 to development. The talks centre on reducing capital and operating costs to ensure that the project can proceed economically in a subdued pricing environment for natural graphite. 

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Volt Resources, tel +61 8 9486 7788 or email info@voltresources.com.