Rome Resources (RMR ) has initiated a small-scale tin mining programme at its Kalayi project in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The programme fulfils a key regulatory requirement of the company's small-scale exploitation permit 13274 and is designed to support the conversion of PEPM 13274 into a full mining licence.
It is anticipated that achieving this milestone will assist in facilitating the company's proposal to increase its ownership interest in the licence to 79%, as announced on 17 April.
The mining programme is expected to generate valuable geological, metallurgical and processing data, supporting further resource estimates. The Kalayi deposit is hosted within steeply dipping cassiterite-bearing quartz veins with strong surface expression. The small-scale mining programme targets the shallow tin-bearing material in the vicinity of previous trenching in the northern part of the deposit, with operations involving driving a short mining adit into the mineralised zone along strike.
Early indications are already encouraging. The site team has reported portable XRF readings of up to 17% tin within the exposed mineralised zone.
The mining operations are anticipated to generate modest revenues through the sale of tin concentrate via the State facility at Walikale, with limited capital expenditure required.
Early indications are positive, with the site team reporting portable XRF readings of up to 17% tin within in the shaft walls of the exposed mineralised zone, consistent with results from earlier surface trenching and supportive of the near-surface continuity of mineralisation.
"The early XRF readings from the entrance to the adit are encouraging and consistent with what we have seen from surface trenching in this part of the deposit,” said Paul Barrett, chief executive of Rome Resources.
“We are pursuing increased ownership, inter alia, of the Kalayi project because we believe in this asset. The exploration work completed to date, and what we are now seeing in the mineralised zone, gives us that conviction. Converting the current permit into a full mining licence is central to that process - it unlocks the proposed acquisition of the remaining interest and takes Rome Resources' ownership to approximately 79% in the Kalayi project, a materially stronger platform.”
View from Vox
Still lots going on at Rome – assays from recent drilling are pending, and now mining is likely to commence, albeit on a small scale. More significantly, perhaps, the Company continues to attract interest from potential strategic and development partners. Advancement of the mining licence and increased ownership are expected to further strengthen Rome's position in these discussions.