TIDMBZM
RNS Number : 6641J
Bellzone Mining PLC
04 July 2011
4 July 2011 - 7:00 am
Bellzone Mining plc
("Bellzone" or the "Company")
Kalia Rail and Port Infrastructure Update
-- Submission of infrastructure feasibility studies to Guinea
Government on track for Q4 2011
-- Government infrastructure steering committee is involved with
Kalia infrastructure team to facilitate progress and approvals.
-- The first 74km of 286km rail route submitted and agreed in
principle by the Government
-- China Construction and Communication Company ("CCCC")
appointed in December 2010 to conduct the Matakan port studies
-- China Rail Eryuan Engineering Company ("CREEC") appointed in
December 2010 to conduct the Kalia rail studies
-- Design options for the port layout at Matakan have been
completed and are due to be reviewed by Bellzone and CIF early July
2011.
-- SEIA and EIA infrastructure studies on track for completion
in Q4 2011
-- Geotechnical surveys on rail route under way
-- Rail and Port infrastructure detailed feasibility studies on
track for Q4 2011
Bellzone Mining plc (AIM:BZM), the iron ore company developing
the Kalia Mine Project and the Forecariah JV in the Republic of
Guinea, West Africa, is pleased to announce a progress update for
the associated Kalia Mine Project Rail and Port infrastructure.
The infrastructure project is owned and managed by Kalia Horizon
Minerals Pte ("KHM"), the 90:10 joint venture ("JV") company
established by China International Fund Limited ("CIF") and
Bellzone respectively. As per the definitive agreements signed with
CIF in August 2010, CIF have agreed to fund and develop the
multi-user infrastructure required to support the export of iron
ore from the Kalia Mine Project and other projects that will be
developed in the area.
General Progress
-- Socioeconomic ("SEIA") and Environmental Impact Assessment
studies ("EIA") awarded in December 2010 are progressing well and
are due for completion in Q4 2011.
-- Government infrastructure steering committee is involved with
the infrastructure team to facilitate progress and approvals.
-- A Project Management office has been established in Beijing
to oversee and coordinate Rail and Port activities. The primary
role will be to ensure committed targets are met and to undertake
and manage procurement and manufacturing activities.
Port Progress
-- Design options for the port layout at Matakan have been
completed and are due to be reviewed by Bellzone and CIF early July
2011. The preferred option will then be used as the basis of the
detailed feasibility study report, due for completion in Q4
2011.
-- Bathymetric surveys are 100% complete and cover an area of
570 Km(2) . This data has been used in the selection of final
berthing location options.
-- Oceanographic and Meteorological surveys are approximately
80% complete. Final data is currently being collected to cover the
rainy season (June - October) which will complete this work but
will not impact timing of the selection of the preferred
option.
-- Marine and land survey work has commenced and is on schedule
to be completed in Q4 2011. Early studies include the installation
of survey control points and some shallow water drilling.
Rail Progress
-- Route of the first 74km of the railway from the proposed port
at Matakan to Moussaya has been agreed in principle with the
Government.
-- Rail route geotechnical drilling and surveys have started on
this section.
-- This alignment is within the agreed Bellzone exclusive rail
corridor and will be the first section to commence
construction.
-- An aerial survey has been completed using LiDAR technology to
identify the topography in this area.
-- Aerial photography was also included in the survey to assist
in the final designs and will support the SEIA and EIA studies.
-- Option studies on the rail route from Moussaya to Kalia have
been completed and the preferred option route has been approved in
principal by the Government.
-- Final optimisation to minimise construction times and overall
costs is in progress.
-- Rolling stock assessment is currently in progress.
-- The detailed rail feasibility study report is expected to be
completed in Q4 2011.
In 2008, Bellzone completed a scoping study that identified the
Matakan site as the preferred port site for the Kalia Mine Project.
The site was selected given its relatively easy access to deep
water and its capacity to support multi-user capacity expansions
required for other potential operations that will start in Guinea.
Bellzone completed a feasibility study in 2010 which identified and
demarcated a rail route and port solution at Matakan to support the
Kalia Mine Project.
As previously announced on 2 September 2010, the Government of
Guinea decreed a Protocol d'Accord ("Accord") which provided
Bellzone with the exclusive rights to develop an infrastructure
solution in a specified rail corridor from the Kalia Mine site to
the preferred port location of Matakan. As per the definitive
agreements signed with CIF in August 2010, CIF have agreed to fund
and develop the multi-user infrastructure required to support the
export of iron ore from the Kalia Mine Project and other projects
that will be developed in the area through the KHM JV. CIF
committed $40million to fund the feasibility studies for the rail
and port. CCCC and CREEC were appointed to undertake the port and
rail studies respectively. SGS Environmental was appointed to
conduct the SEIA and EIA for the approved infrastructure corridor.
Currently CCCC have a project team of 17 people and CREEC a team of
30 people currently in Guinea on the infrastructure project.
As per the conditions of the Accord, the Government has
committed resources from the Department of Transport and the
Department of Environment to work with KHM to assist in the
development of the infrastructure studies and to facilitate the
Government approval process required for the issue of the Build Own
Transfer ("BOT") license as stated in the Accord.
Bryan Pearce, Bellzone's Director of Projects, commented: "We
are very pleased with the quantity and quality of work completed to
date and in such a short time on the Kalia Rail and Port project.
This has established the necessary building blocks that will allow
the smooth transition from feasibility study into project
execution. This will be evident during the start of the
construction work planned for early 2012. With the establishment of
the integrated Beijing office to coordinate and manage the project
development and procurement processes the structure is in place to
execute what is expected to be a very successful project. "
Enquiries:
Bellzone Mining plc
Graham Fyfe / Terry Larkan +61 (0) 8 9420 8900
Canaccord Genuity Limited
Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker
to Bellzone +44 (0)20 7050 6500
Andrew Chubb/Tarica Mpinga
Renaissance Capital Limited
Joint Broker to Bellzone +44 (0)20 7367 7777
Simon Matthews
Tavistock (UK)
Jos Simson/Paul Youens +44 (0)20 7 9203 150 / +44 (0)7899
870 450
PPR (Australia)
David Ikin +61 (0) 8 9388 0944 / +61 (0)
408 438 772
Bellzone Mining Plc
Bellzone Mining plc is an exploration and resource development
company with iron ore and nickel / copper permits in the Republic
of Guinea, West Africa.
Kalia Mine
The Company's flagship project, the Kalia Mine Project, has a
Company estimated magnetite resource potential of 6.4 billion
tonnes, which includes a 3.74 billion tonnes JORC resource, located
on the Kalia I prospect and an initial oxide JORC resource
producing 43 million tonnes of 58% product from just 4.3% of the
55km(2) of the mapped surface oxides on the Kalia permit. Drilling
results and internal estimates indicate that the Kalia Mine Project
has the potential to host more than 10 billion tonnes of magnetite
and 2 billion tonnes of oxide.
Bellzone plans to develop the Kalia Mine Project in two
stages;
-- commencing with a 20mtpa oxide production facility in 2014
and a 10mtpa magnetite concentrator in 2015,
-- stage two increases oxide output to 30mtpa in 2017 and
doubles the concentrate output to 20mtpa in 2018.
CIF - Project, Financing & Infrastructure Partner
Bellzone has a Definitive Agreement ("the Agreement") with China
International Fund Limited ("CIF"). The Agreement gives CIF right
of first refusal to purchase the Kalia Mine Project's production at
market rates and CIF commits to providing Bellzone commercially
related funding for the development of the Kalia Mine Project.
The Agreement contains CIF's commitment to fund and build a
commercially operated rail and port infrastructure that will enable
Bellzone to export production from Kalia Mine Project. The
infrastructure is being developed by Kalia Horizon Minerals Pte
Limited that is 90% owned by CIF with Bellzone having a 10% carried
interest. The Agreement provides for Bellzone to be the lowest cost
user with permanent priority access.
Forecariah JV
In addition to the Kalia Mine Project, Bellzone and CIF have
fully funded a joint venture to undertake the accelerated
exploration and development programme at CIF's Forecariah iron
permits that lie between 30 and 80 kms from the Guinea coast.
Production is on schedule to start in Q1 2012 at the Yomboyeli
target with an initial production rate of 3-4 mtpa of oxide ore,
ramping to a rate of 10 mtpa in 2013. Resource development is
underway, with all drill holes intersecting oxide mineralisation. A
surface oxide cap of between 8m and 33m has been identified by the
drilling programme. The ore will be transported 75km by bulk ore
road trains to a transshipping port at Konta, on the south coast of
Guinea. From the port loadout facilities the ore will be barged to
deep water prior to loading onto bulk sea carriers. Construction on
the first 24km of road from the port location of Konta has started.
Construction on the port is due to start in August 2011.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END
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