Southern Africa-focused metals exploration company Kavango Resources is planning to build a new processing plant at the Hillside project in Matabeleland, southern Zimbabwe, to increase gold production capacity.
The new facility will enhance production at the Prospect 4 target of the Hillside project, which comprises 44 gold claims covering 503 hectares (ha) within trucking distance of the Nara Project.
Currently, high-grade gold mineralisation is extracted on a small scale at Prospect 4 and transported 20km to Kavango's processing facility within the main Hillside project area.
However, the existing facility's capacity is limited to 40–50tpd, which restricts production levels.
To meet the potential production growth, Kavango has engaged a South African manufacturer to begin the design of a new gold production plant.
This facility is projected to process at least 100tpd and up to 200tpd of mineralised material.
The proposed plant will be modular, allowing for cost-effective relocation to other sites within Kavango's portfolio if technical economic assessment (TEA) studies at Prospect 4 suggest the need for a larger production facility, the company said.
Preliminary exploration at Prospect 4 by Kavango has paved the way for further investigative work.
The company plans to commence exploratory drilling at Prospect 4 in 2025, with four deep holes ranging from 500–600m to examine the continuity and depth of the gold-bearing quartz-vein shears, with more than 12 sets having been identified.
Kavango Resources CEO Ben Turney said: “Once we have finished drilling at Prospect 3, we will mobilise the two rigs to Prospect 4 to conduct the next phase of exploration there.
“As well as assay tests, we intend to complete metallurgical test work on core samples from the next four holes. Our goal will be to use this data to guide the TEA for this project.
“Our plan is then to use free cash flow generated through the new processing plant to pay for the TEA. If results are favourable, the final TEA for Prospect 4 could provide a blueprint for substantially higher gold production for Kavango.”
Meanwhile, Kavango has started the drilling programme at its Prospect 3 target at the Hillside Gold Project.
The programme aims to delineate a mineral resource to form the basis for an open-pit mine. It is also intended to obtain a ‘sufficient sample’ to undertake metallurgical test work.
