Company says build finished in 21 weeks, ahead of schedule; first saleable concentrate due late October, but no sales or revenue yet disclosed
Bezant Resources has begun commercial copper-gold concentrate production at its Hope & Gorob mine in Namibia, moving the project from construction into operation, with more than 40,000 tonnes of run-of-mine ore already extracted.
The company is targeting minimum plant throughput of 9,000 tonnes in October, and expects its first saleable concentrate to be available for offtake in late October. The October target refers to ore processed, not concentrate produced.
Run-of-mine ore is being fed through the Tsoaxaub Metals flotation plant, where commissioning will continue over the coming weeks. Production is to be raised progressively towards nameplate capacity by the end of the year. Bezant said the plant is operating as required, with no major mechanical problems so far.
Bezant said site establishment, mine construction and plant development were completed within 21 weeks of groundbreaking, ahead of schedule and within internal budgets.
More than 40,000 tonnes of ore have been mined since mid-August, about 10,000 tonnes of which are stockpiled at the plant. Early indications show copper grades comparing favourably with the project’s resource estimates and the Hope open-pit block model, while gold grades are currently running above forecast. Bezant has not disclosed actual grades or plant recoveries.
Executive chairman Colin Bird described the start of production as “a very encouraging start” and said the immediate focus is on sustainable production while increasing mining and processing capacity.
In interim results released on 30 September, Bezant said concentrate was expected to be trucked to Walvis Bay towards the end of October, with a first shipment anticipated in early November. That timing remains subject to commissioning and logistical arrangements.
Bezant is already planning to scale up while the existing operation ramps up.
Phase II would add a tandem processing plant that could lift throughput by up to 40% using ore from the existing resource. An engineering assessment has been completed, but the company has not disclosed the capital cost, funding needs or timetable.
Phase III is a potentially larger development that depends on further drilling and growth of the resource base. Step-out and expansion drilling is planned once Hope & Gorob reaches stable production and cash flow, initially targeting 500,000 tonnes of contained copper, which Bezant regards as the minimum threshold for considering Phase III. The company said a possible Phase III plant would have a capacity of 25,000 tonnes per year, though its announcement does not clearly define what that figure represents. The proposal remains at an early planning stage.
Bird said the company would “shortly start the process of resource drilling” ahead of scoping for a possible Phase III.
With construction behind it, the focus shifts to operating performance: Bezant must show the plant can consistently process ore at target rates while producing saleable concentrate. It has not yet announced a first concentrate sale or any revenue from Hope & Gorob.
The next milestones are hitting the October processing target, making concentrate available for offtake later this month and, subject to logistics, completing the first shipment in early November.
