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 (TSF).

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 successfully completed the upgrade the WCP A at the Moma mine; commissioning started on October 2.

“The two new dredges and the new feed preparation unit have been successfully connected to WCP A . . . The commissioning and production process is expected to ramp up through quarter four, as the new equipment and process changes are progressively brought to design capacity,” Kenmare COO Ben Baxter said on October 8.

The upgrade work was completed on schedule. This included a planned production pause of three to four weeks, which was accounted for in Kenmare’s 2025 production guidance.

The WCP A upgrade is designed to handle the unique conditions of the Nataka ore zone, which contains higher levels of fine, clay-like particles, or slimes. 

Kenmare’s capital expenditure for the WCP A upgrade and the transition to Nataka, including the new TSF and infrastructure, remains at $341-million.

The plant is expected to reach its full operating capacity of 3 500 t/h by the end of the year.

WCP A will complete mining in the current Namalope zone in the second quarter of 2026 and will start transitioning to Nataka from late in the second quarter of 2026, a process 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.