Group 6 Metals has issued a progress report on construction activities at the Dolphin tungsten mine redevelopment project on Tasmania’s King Island.
Contractors have completed the mechanical installation of 70% of all major equipment packages onsite, with the remainder scheduled for February.
A construction team from Victoria-based Gekko Systems is accelerating the work onsite in preparation for commissioning early in the new year.
Electrical installation of the main switch rooms and motor control centres has been completed and cable terminations are progressing in line with schedule.
Mechanical and electrical installation for the crushing and screening circuit have also been finalised, and power has been turned on for the start of pre-commissioning and testing of the area.
Bump testing of motors has been completed ahead of wet commissioning in the new year.
Tailings storage facility
Construction activities for stage one of the Dolphin tailings storage facility (TSF) are reported to be on track.
The Group 6 onsite team is utilising historically-stockpiled rock for the TSF and remaining mine site support infrastructure with a view to receiving first ore through the processing plant in March.
Work on a dedicated power station to provide electricity for commissioning works is set to commence in early February.
Investigator drilling
Group 6 is also preparing for a drilling campaign at the Investigator prospects, located 6 kilometres west of Dolphin.
A rig has been mobilised and is due to arrive on King Island in January.
Drilling is expected to commence soon after, comprising four diamond holes to test the western margin of Grassy Granite, north of the Investigator 21 prospect.
When Investigator was last drilled in 2018, Group 6 identified high-grade mineralisation with one hole intersecting 3.3 metres grading 1.7% tungsten trioxide.
The intersection was considered to be “geologically significant” as it confirmed the high-grade tenor of mineralisation at three locations (Dolphin, Bold Head and Investigator) on the periphery of the Grassy granodiorite.
Group 6 said at the time that the findings “upgraded the overall exploration potential of the large, mineralised intrusion”.
The company is seeking to delineate an economic reserve which would extend Dolphin’s life of mine beyond the current 14 year estimate.
