Tin takes centre stage: Sky Metals (ASX:SKY) Tallebung project unlocks low-cost potential
September 17, 2024Sky Metals (ASX:SKY) is reshaping the landscape of tin mining with its latest breakthrough at the Tallebung Tin Project in New South Wales.
The results from TOMRA ore sorting testwork showcase an extraordinary leap forward in tin processing efficiency, offering a tantalising glimpse into the future of low-cost tin production.
As the company advances its development efforts, the message is clear: Tallebung’s potential is far from ordinary.
The recent metallurgical results revealed a game-changing upgrade of tin grade, achieving a remarkable 44x increase in a sample from drillhole TBD012.
With this sample, tin concentration soared from 0.10% to an impressive 4.42%, accompanied by 342 g/t silver. Additionally, a staggering 83% of tin was recovered from just 1.9% of the total mass.
This represents a monumental 98.1% reduction in the sorted mass, highlighting the sheer efficiency of the process
Sky Metals CEO Oliver Davies was enthusiastic about the implications: “Tallebung has once again shown that it is an ideal deposit for ore sorting and has exceptional potential for low-cost tin production. This huge upgrade of tin into a very small mass shows that there is outstanding potential to reduce both project Capex and Opex”
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This aggressive ore sorting not only marks a significant leap forward in the grade and recovery of tin but also holds the potential to fundamentally transform the project’s economics by drastically reducing the mass to be processed, enabling Sky Metals to construct a processing plant that is merely a fraction of the size originally anticipated.
The resulting reduction in capital expenditure (Capex) and operational expenditure (Opex) is substantial, positioning the company to maximise profitability while simultaneously minimising its environmental impact.
In terms of sustainability, Tallebung’s potential extends beyond cost reductions, as the process also significantly lowers water and power requirements, contributing to a smaller environmental footprint.
Additionally, the benefits include a reduction in waste emplacement sizes, such as tailings dams, which is a critical environmental consideration for modern mining operations.
Furthermore, the variability testwork results offer additional validation of the technology’s consistency across the deposit, with conservative ore sorting already demonstrating strong upgrades, achieving a 5-6x improvement in grade while maintaining high recovery rates, and the latest testwork suggesting the possibility of even higher returns.
As Davies summarised, “These results show that there is excellent potential to continue to optimise the use of ore sorting in the planning for tin production at Tallebung.” This focus on optimisation points to further gains in efficiency, with upcoming assay results expected to provide even more clarity on the project’s prospects
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Sky Metals’ latest development signals a transformative moment for both the company and the broader tin market.
With a world-class resource, cutting-edge ore sorting technology, and a clear pathway to low-cost production, the Tallebung project is set to become a key player in the global tin supply chain.
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