Name of the Project
Moma titanium mine – wet concentrator plant (WCP) A upgrade and transition project.

Location
North-east coast of Mozambique. 

Project Owner/s
Titanium minerals producer Kenmare Resources.
 
Project Description
The Moma mine contains deposits of heavy minerals that include the titanium minerals ilmenite and rutile, as well as the zirconium silicate mineral, zircon.

Mining is principally undertaken using dredges that float in artificial mining ponds. These dredges pump the mineral sands that form the wall of the pond into a WCP. Dredging takes place in three separate artificial freshwater ponds where four dredges feed three floating WCPs – WCP A, WCP B and WCP C. 

WCP A is the biggest of Kenmare’s three mining plants, representing about 50% of total mining capacity. 

WCP A will start its transition from its current mine path, in Namalope, where it has mined for 17 years, to Nataka, in late 2025. Nataka represents more than 70% of Moma’s mineral resources, containing 6.4-billion tonnes of the mine’s nine-billion tonnes of mineral resources. 

The transition project is the only move of this kind that is required in WCP A’s economic life, which is expected to extend beyond the existing mine plan that runs until 2045.

The principal components of the project include the replacement of WCP A’s two existing dredges with higher-capacity dredges, the addition of a desliming circuit, and the construction of a tailings storage facility.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
$341-million. Kenmare plans to fund the WCP A upgrade and transition from cash flow and existing debt facilities.

Planned Start/End Date
Not stated.

Latest Developments
The first of Kenmare Resources’ two new high-capacity dredges has arrived.

They form part of the upgrade of Kenmare’s largest mining plant, WCP A, currently a mining an area alongside the staging pond.

Once the new dredges are in place and work on the new feed preparation module is complete, the staging pond will be flooded, and the existing dredges will mine through the wall separating the staging pond and WCP A’s current mining pond.

WCP A’s existing dredges will be detached from the plant and the new dredges will float out of the staging pond to be attached to WCP A.

The existing feed preparation module, which forms part of WCP A, will also be detached from the remainder of the plant and the new feed preparation module will be connected in its place.

Kenmare has said this upgrade work is on track to start in the third quarter and is expected to take three to four weeks.

Once the work is complete, the transitioning of WCP A from its current mining area, in Namalope, to the Nataka ore zone – expected to take about 18 months – will start.

Nataka is the largest ore zone in Moma’s portfolio, representing about 70% of Moma’s nine-billion tonnes of mineral resources.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Kenmare Resources, tel +353 1 6710411 or email info@kenmareresources.com.