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Al Hadeetha Resources LLC, a joint venture Omani-Australian minerals exploration and development company, says its copper-gold mining project in South Al Sharqiyah Governorate is on track for completion next November – paving the way for the start of a new phase of copper mining and processing activity in the Sultanate of Oman.
Construction work at the site, centring on the installation of a copper concentrator plant and associated infrastructure, is progressing at a rapid clip, according to a key project official. When commissioned later in 2022, it will support the operation of an open pit mine and the processing of 1 million tons of copper ore annually into copper concentrate.
“As we approach the end of 2021, we are pleased to report that progress at the Al Wash-hi Majaza Copper-Gold Project is continuing to accelerate. With the accommodation village almost complete, attention will turn to the construction of a world-class, copper-gold mining-processing facility. We are very excited about the work we have planned for 2022 and look forward to updating shareholders on the achievement of further key project development milestones,” said Atmavireshwar Sthapak, Managing Director, Al Hadeetha Resources.
Australian-based mining firm Alara Resources is a majority investor in the joint venture with a 51 per cent stake. Al Hadeetha (30 per cent) and Al Tasnim (19 per cent) are partners as well. The goal of the project is to commercialise an estimated 16 million tons of copper ore – billed as the largest single copper resource in the Sultanate to date.
According to an update on the progress made thus far in its implementation, Al Hadeetha Resources said it has ramped up engineering and procurement of key pieces of equipment and machinery.
As of December 2021, more than 60 per cent of engineering work had been completed and a number of major equipment items placed on order, it said. Furthermore, a full-fledged ‘accommodation village’ for company staff is nearing completion not far from the site, and will be ready for occupation by January 2022.
In June 2018, Al Hadeetha Resources became the first international joint venture company to be awarded a copper mining licence in Oman. Other investors have since followed suit, adding new momentum to efforts to revive the Sultanate’s longstanding copper mining industry.
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