Cornish Metals Commences Wet Commissioning of South Crofty Mine Water Treatment Plant
September 28 2023 - 2:00AM
Cornish Metals Inc. (
AIM/TSX-V:
CUSN) (“Cornish Metals” or the “Company”), a mineral
exploration and development company focused on its South Crofty Tin
Project (“South Crofty” or the “Project”) in Cornwall, United
Kingdom, is pleased to report that it has commenced wet
commissioning of its newly constructed Mine Water Treatment Plant
(“MWTP”) at South Crofty.
Key Points
- The MWTP is designed to treat
25,000m3/day of water pumped directly from South Crofty Mine;
- The plant uses the proven High
Density Sludge (“HDS”) process technology to treat raw mine water
and meet the Company’s permitted standards for discharge into the
nearby Red River;
- Cornish Metals’ project delivery
team is being supported by the plant designer, equipment suppliers
and contractors to fully test and commission every aspect of the
process before commencing discharge to the Red River; and
- Commissioning and building of the
high density sludge bed is expected to take up to three weeks, with
full dewatering of the mine anticipated to commence in
October.
Richard Williams, CEO and Director of
Cornish Metals, stated; “The commencement of wet
commissioning at the South Crofty MWTP is another exciting step
towards the dewatering of South Crofty Mine. Our project team,
supported by a small army of dedicated local contractors, has
worked extremely hard over the last 12 months to take the MWTP from
a conceptual flowsheet design through to a fully constructed
plant.”
MWTP Commissioning
The MWTP uses the proven HDS water treatment
technology to remove metals and other contaminants from the mine
water. The plant commissioning process takes place in several
stages:
- Fill all the
reaction tanks with water and check for leaks;
- Electrically
test each of the motor and control circuits, commission the reagent
addition modules, supplied as package plants from third party
suppliers, and receive first fills of all reagents; and
- Start running
the plant and treating the water to allow a bed of thickened (high
density) sludge to build up within the plant. This sludge building
step is an essential part of the HDS process and is required to
achieve the permitted water quality standards for discharge. During
the sludge building process, the raw water from the mine is treated
through the plant and then re-circulated back into the mine. Not
until the plant is fully operational and performing to the required
standards will any treated water be discharged to the Red
River.
Background
- South
Crofty is a historical, high-grade, underground tin mine that
started production in the sixteenth century, and continued
operating until 1998;
- The
Project possesses Planning Permission for underground mining, valid
to 2071, Planning Permission to construct a mine water treatment
plant, new processing facilities, all necessary site
infrastructure, and an Environmental Permit to dewater the
mine;
- South
Crofty has the 4th highest grade tin Mineral Resource globally and
benefits from the presence of multiple shafts that can be used for
future operations;
- Tin is a
Critical Mineral as defined by the UK, USA, and Canadian
governments, with approximately 75% of the tin mined today coming
from China, Myanmar and Indonesia;
- There is
no primary tin production in Europe or North America;
-
Responsible sourcing of critical minerals and security of supply
are key factors in the energy transition and technology
growth;
- South
Crofty benefits from strong local community and regional and
national government support. The Project could generate 250 – 300
direct jobs.
ABOUT CORNISH METALS
Cornish Metals is a dual-listed company (AIM and
TSX-V: CUSN) focused on advancing the South Crofty high-grade,
underground tin Project through to delivery of a Feasibility Study,
as well as exploring its additional mineral rights, all located in
Cornwall, United Kingdom. The former producing South Crofty tin
mine is located beneath the towns of Pool and Camborne, and closed
in 1998 following over 400 years of continuous production.
An updated Mineral Resource was completed in
September 2023 as summarised below:
South Crofty Summary (JORC 2012) Mineral Resource
Estimate |
Area |
Classification |
Mass(kt) |
Grade |
Contained Tin / Tin Equivalent
(kt) |
Lower Mine |
Indicated |
2,896 |
1.50% Sn |
43.6 |
Inferred |
2,626 |
1.42% Sn |
37.4 |
Upper Mine |
Indicated |
260 |
0.99% SnEq |
2.6 |
Inferred |
465 |
0.91% SnEq |
4.2 |
The Mineral Resource Estimate for South Crofty
was updated in September 2023 (see news release dated September 13,
2023). An updated NI 43-101 Technical Report will be filed on SEDAR
within 45 days of the September 13 news release.
The technical information in this news release
has been compiled by Mr. Owen Mihalop who has reviewed and takes
responsibility for the data and geological interpretation. Mr. Owen
Mihalop (MCSM, BSc (Hons), MSc, FGS, MIMMM, CEng) is Chief
Operating Officer for Cornish Metals Inc. and has sufficient
experience relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of
deposit under consideration and to the activity which he is
undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined under the
JORC Code (2012) and as a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. Mr.
Mihalop consents to the inclusion in this announcement of the
matters based on his information in the form and context in which
it appears.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
“Richard D. Williams”Richard D. Williams,
P.Geo
For additional information please contact:
In North America: Irene Dorsman
at (604) 200 6664 or by e-mail at irene@cornishmetals.com
SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP (Nominated Adviser
& Joint
Broker) |
Richard Morrison Charlie Bouverat Grant Barker |
Tel: +44 203 470 0470 |
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Hannam & Partners(Joint
Broker) |
Matthew HassonAndrew Chubb Jay Ashfield |
Tel: +44 207 907 8500email:
cornish@hannam.partners |
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BlytheRay(Financial PR/IR-London) |
Tim Blythe Megan Ray |
Tel: +44 207 138 3204email: tim.blythe@blytheray.com
megan.ray@blytheray.com |
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Market Abuse Regulation (MAR)
Disclosure
The information contained within this
announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside
information pursuant to Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014 as it
forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018 as amended.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its
Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the
policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for
the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Caution regarding forward looking
statements
This news release contains "forward-looking
statements". Forward-looking statements, while based on
management's best estimates and assumptions at the time such
statements are made, are subject to risks and uncertainties that
may cause actual results to be materially different from those
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including
but not limited to: risks related to receipt of regulatory
approvals, risks related to general economic and market conditions;
risks related to the COVID-19 global pandemic and any variants of
COVID-19 which may arise; risks related to the availability of
financing; the timing and content of upcoming work programmes;
actual results of proposed exploration activities; possible
variations in Mineral Resources or grade; outcome of the current
Feasibility Study; projected dates to commence mining operations;
failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated;
accidents, labour disputes, title disputes, claims and limitations
on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining industry;
changes in national and local government regulation of mining
operations, tax rules and regulations.
Although Cornish Metals has attempted to
identify important factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those contained in forward-looking
statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be
as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance
that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results
and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in
such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue
reliance on forward-looking statements. Cornish Metals undertakes
no obligation or responsibility to update forward-looking
statements, except as required by law.
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