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
Kenmare Resources has confirmed the safe delivery of a second high-capacity dredge on site at the project.

The company bought two new dredges as part of an upgrade to the mine’s WCP A, with the first dredge having arrived on site on July 21.

All key components required for the upgrade of the plant are now on site, which represents another important milestone in the company’s progressive derisking of the project, Kenmare COO Ben Baxter has said.

Kenmare will now transport both dredges to the staging pond by road on platform vehicles, called self-propelled modular transporters, which Kenmare also used in 2020 when it relocated its WCP B plant.

The upgrade work and switching out of dredges is on track to start during the third quarter and will take between three and four weeks to complete.

Once the upgrade is complete, WCP A will start to transition from its current mining area in Namalope to the Nataka orezone, which is expected to take about 18 months.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

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