Name of the Project
Orom-Cross graphite project.

Location
Uganda.

Project Owner/s
Graphite, nickel and copper developer Blencowe Resources.

Project Description
A prefeasibility study (PFS) has highlighted an exceptional long-life project that delivers considerable returns over an initial life-of-mine of 14 years.

An estimated 600 000 t/y of ore will be mined from the commissioning date and this will increase to 2.4-million tonnes a year by the time the project is fully ramped up in Year 10.

Mining will be free-dig, with no drill-and-blast required. Initial ore will come from saprolite (clay) at about 15 m to 20 m depth on average. Both deposits (Northern syncline and Camp lode) identified in the drilling programmes will be mined and a composite blend of both will be fed into the processing plant that will be built on site.

An initial 36 000 t/y of end-product will be delivered from the plant as concentrates, which will increase in two additional stages to 147 000 t/y once the mine is fully ramped up. 

Further resources, higher production volumes and an extended mine life can all be obtained at any stage by drilling additional ready-targets. This, however, is not currently considered a priority.

The processing flowsheet comprises a flash and rougher flotation stage, followed by a primary cleaning circuit with a polishing mill and three stages of cleaner flotation. The intermediate concentrate is classified and then further upgraded in secondary cleaning circuits with stirred media mills, followed by cleaner flotation.

Orom-Cross will deliver at least five different end-products, characterised by size fractions of +50 mesh, + 80 mesh, +100 mesh, +150 mesh and -100 mesh. These products will have different markets and will be branded and packaged on site.

Initially, transport to port will be by road, but it is expected that a rail option might be available by 2025, further reducing logistics costs.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has an after-tax net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of $482-million and an internal rate of return of 50%.

Capital Expenditure
The initial capital requirement has been lowered by 23% to $62-million since the preliminary economic assessment was announced in 2021. 

Planned Start/End Date
Blencowe will start the main operations from 2025 at an initial output of 36 000 t/y of end-product.

Latest Developments
Blencowe Resources has announced the successful completion of additional metallurgical test work on the project. The testing was conducted by graphite technical specialist laboratory Jilin New Technology, based in Yanji, northern China.  

The metallurgical test work conducted by Jilin is a crucial step in assessing the viability of commercial-scale processing for the Orom-Cross project.  

It provides insights into the quality of the high-grade graphite concentrate produced, flake sizing yield and the operability of a processing plant at Orom-Cross. Additionally, the 100 t bulk sample generated from this testing will be instrumental in end-user testing for the definitive feasibility study (DFS).   

Blencowe now possesses larger quantities of concentrate as bulk samples for potential buyers and strategic groups. These entities can proceed to test the concentrate and determine their interest in binding offtake agreements, which are crucial for project financing. 

The company believes these results will attract a range of graphite consumers and contribute to addressing the expected graphite shortfall in the market in the foreseeable future. 

The metallurgical test work is based on a bulk sample sourced from the Northern Syncline and Camp Lode areas within Orom-Cross.  

The objectives of the pilot plant programme included confirming the commercial scale viability of processing Orom-Cross ores, achieving a 95% to 97% total graphite content pure concentrate

with low impurities, validating laboratory testing models, ensuring the liberation process to maintain a majority of jumbo/extra-large/large flakes within the concentrate, confirming the process flow diagram for the pilot plant design as part of the DFS, and providing a significant quantity of bulk concentrate for discussions with potential offtake partners. 

Blencowe has said that the pilot plant process successfully achieved all these objectives. The process optimisation, based on previous laboratory testing, was successful, resulting in a shorter overall ore processing cycle, reduced capital expenditure, and lower operating costs, which the company believes will enhance the project's financials. 

The streamlined processing design has also led to increased recoveries of more valuable larger +50 mesh flake, from 6.5% to 9.5% yield within the overall basket of end-products. This, along with an increase in overall large flake yield by about 2% and overall concentrate recoveries exceeding 94%, adds further value to the project's financials.   

The additional metallurgical test work shows a robust flowsheet capable of repeatable metallurgy for a wide range of feed samples from Orom-Cross. Blencowe has said that these results will likely be directly used as a reference in the actual concentrator engineering design for the DFS.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Battery Limits (PFS); and IMO (technical testwork); and CPC Engineering (DFS).

Contact Details for Project Information
Blencowe Resources, tel +44 1624 681 250 or email info@blencoweresourcesplc.com.