It’s Stage 1 of the Andy White pit expansion to deliver high-grade ore and is on top of its ongoing reprocessing of low-grade stockpiles at the historical mine site.
It is exciting to start mining fresh ore at Mount Carbine, says EQ Resources chief executive officer Kevin MacNeill.
“We are expecting a great result over the next 12-months and anticipate all our mining systems to complete ramp-up by the end of Q3 to meet planned production targets.
“Over the coming financial year EQR is looking to drive good profits, validating shareholder investment over the past few years and grow the EQR business.
“The company is working hard to become a major player in the tungsten market this year and demonstrate its positioning as a long-term supplier of tungsten, supporting critical mineral supply chains for the Western world.”
Orana Drill and Blast is the contractor engaged under Golding Contractors to manage and control all blasting at site.
The initial blast was a 200-hole pattern for 42,000 tonnes, providing calibration of blasting parameters for the restart of the open pit mining operations.
A full blast would typically be a 325-hole and 2.5m x 2.5m pattern for about 60,000t per blast.
EQ Resources said two Epiroc blast rigs, mobilised to site last week, would focus on the blast hole drill-out expected over the next 12-months.
They are set to drill about 12,790 holes for 134,000m of blast hole drilling to load 1,010t of emulsion explosives.
Nine articulated dump trucks will be used to haul ore on to the run-of-mine pad, with initial loading being undertaken by 50-tonne and 74-tonne excavators (ore zone location dependent).
A larger Hitachi EX1900 excavator is on its way for future works.
EQ Resources said mining would ramp up over the next quarter to the long-term 80,000 tonnes per month of ore.
The company intends to sample and assay the vertical drill and blast holes as well as the angled RC holes to provide as much information as possible to mark-up the ore zones accurately.