South Star Battery Metals Corp. (TSXV: STS) has confirmed it is on target with construction and project development activities for the Santa Cruz Graphite Mine in Bahia, Brazil.
Phase 1 Construction
- The majority of the major equipment has been contracted and down payments made to lock in largest portion of Phase 1 capital expenditures (CAPEX). All major equipment contracts are on schedule to be signed by January 2023. Shop drawings are being finalised by equipment manufacturers, and final engineering documentation for construction is on schedule to be completed by February 10th, 2023.
- Civil and earthworks contractors are under contract and mobilized. Civil infrastructure including initial offices, showers, bathrooms and other infrastructure is 50% completed and on schedule to be completed by January 6th 2023. The earthworks contractor is mobilised and clearing and topsoil stockpiling operations of the plant site are underway.
- The owners team is complete and mobilised to oversee the 12-month construction and commissioning schedule.
Phases 2 and 3 Permitting and Licensing
- The field work for the environmental permitting of Phases 2 and 3 has been completed, and the company is on schedule to submit the permitting documentation/studies to the Municipality of Itabela, Bahia by the end of January 2023. The terms of reference and requested studies for Phases 2 and 3 are similar in process and substance to the Phase 1 environmental permitting process.
- Requests for definitive mining concession and the Planned Economic Analysis reports (PAE) doubling production to 50,000 tpy of graphite concentrates for 11 of the 13 mining claims have been submitted to Brazilian Mining Agency (ANM) for review and comment. All 13 PAEs are planned to be submitted by January 2023.
- Permitting and licensing for Phases 2 and 3 are planned to be approved around the time the Phase 1 operations are in commissioning in Q4 of 2023.
Exploration
The geophysics team has completed the field work for the first three lines of electrical resistivity (ER) with 10m electrode spacing with an estimated penetration of 80-90 m. The lines were completed on sections with known geology and graphite grades based on recent drilling programme.
The results are being interpreted and then will be compared to the known geologic sections and graphitic carbon (Cg) grade. If the ER proves effective in identifying potential targets and mineralized zones/limits, then additional three to four km of ER will be completed in January 2023. The results will be used to plan and prioritise the 2023 drilling programme.
“We are closing out 2022 having reached another important milestone, and Phase 1 commercial production is planned for December 2023,” CEO, Richard Pearce, said.
“It is great to be fully funded for Phase 1, as well as getting equipment purchased and contractors mobilised. Civil support infrastructure construction is about 50% complete and clearing and stripping operations of the plant site are underway.
“We will be working through the end of the year and look forward to hitting the ground running so that 2023 will be a watershed moment for South Star, as we transition from a development project to an operating mine.
“We are confident in delivering on our promise to be the first new graphite production in the Americas since 1996.”
For further information please visit: https://www.southstarbatterymetals.com/
