Name of the Project
Uis tin project.

Location
The Uis project consists of three project areas in the Erongo region of Namibia.

Project Owner/s
London Aim-listed tin mining company AfriTin Mining.

Project Description
AfriTin has undertaken a detailed mine design for the V1 and V2 pegmatite bodies, previously identified as priority targets, to supply feed to the new intermediary processing plant.

The design of the proposed tin mine includes an initial five-year mine production schedule to start operations on the outcropping pegmatite bodies and existing excavations of the historical V1 and V2 pits.

This in-house mine plan supports an overburden stripping ratio (overburden-to-ore) of less than one and a fast ramp-up profile using conventional openpit mining methods.

Material will be liberated using drill-and-blast methods, while excavators and articulated dump trucks will be used to load and haul the ore.

The run-of-mine feed to the processing plant for this phase of development (Phase 1) is planned at 500 000 t/y, with expected production of 800 t/y of saleable tin concentrate. The target for the Phase 2 is 5 000 t/y of tin concentrate.

Phase 1 of the pilot plant is designed to deliver early positive cash flows, while demonstrating the feasibility of a much larger second-phase mine development on Uis’ multicommodity deposit.

The processing plant will be located close to the V1 and V2 pegmatite orebodies.

Other potentially viable metals include tantalum, niobium, lithium, beryllium and muscovite.

Potential Job Creation
AfriTin is recruiting operational personnel, with about one-third of the total planned complement of 90 people having been appointed, including the management team.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
Not stated.

Planned Start /End Date
Not stated.

Latest Developments
An in-house review from London Aim-listed tin mining company AfriTin has shown the potential extraction of lithium as an additional revenue stream, along with tantalum, for its Uis project.

The fourth shipment of tin concentrate was dispatched this month.

AfriTin CEO Anthony Viljoen has stated that the review should also result in increased production capacity.

“We’re working hard to optimise the pilot plant,” he has said.

AfriTin has stated that the results of an in-house financial model have indicated that the plant, with a few modifications, has the capability and potential of producing a 60% internal rate of return (IRR) and a net present value  (NPV) of $122-million for all stages of Phase 1.

The increased IRR and NPV potential has been calculated on the basis of 50% increased production capacity and improved recoveries beyond initial design capacity.

The long-term focus of ramping up Phase 2 and, ultimately, being responsible for 1% of global tin supply has been reiterated, as mining operations fully return after the easing of Covid-19 lockdown measures in Namibia and the strict mitigation measures that have been implemented across the company to safeguard the workforce.

Delayed Phase 1 pilot plant throughput has increased steadily month-on-month and optimisation work has resumed to reach design capacity, the company has said.

Further expansion of tin and tantalum concentrate production has been achieved and lithium ore is being processed to generate a new by-product revenue stream.

Uis’ compliant mineral resource comprises 95 539 t of tin, 6 091 t of tantalum and 450 265 t of lithium oxide

Key Contracts and Suppliers
MRI (buying station).

Contact Details for Project Information
AfriTin Mining, tel +27 11 268 6555.