Almasane Alkobra Mining (AMAK) plans to start the initial commercial production phase at the Al Masane copper-zinc mine expansion project (Moyeath orebody development) in Saudi Arabia in Q1 2024.

According to the Saudi Arabia-based mining company, the new processing plant is in the final stages of construction. The company is also engaged in the preparation works required for starting cold commissioning.

Almasane Alkobra aims to start the experimental tests at the end of the fourth quarter of this year.

The new processing plant, which has a design capacity of handling 400,000 tons per annum, is developed particularly to process the Moyeath orebody.

Located in Najran, in southwest Saudi Arabia, the Al Masane copper zinc mine began commercial production in 2012.

The Al Masane underground mine covers three areas, namely Saadah, Al-Houra, and Moyeath.

By leveraging various unit operations, the Al Masane plant recovers base and precious metals from a mix of Saadah, Al Houra, and Moyeath ore sources.

The operations include crushing, grinding, flotation, dewatering, using cyanidation, Merrill-Crowe and sulphidisation, acidification, recycling, and thickening (SART).

Final tailings material is loaded in a dry state in a tailings storage facility (TSF).

The Moyeath orebody contains high levels of zinc, and silver as well as large quantities of copper and gold compared to Saadah and Al-Houra orebodies.

Through the expansion project, the new processing plant is expected to increase the production capacity of base metals by 50%, with a total of 1.2 million tonnes per year.

Besides, the company said the Moyeath orebody development project will prolong the life cycle of the Al Masane copper-zinc mine for more than 10 years.