OMH’s Bootu Creek significantly increases Mn ore production and...

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0	OMH’s Bootu Creek significantly increases Mn ore production and salesby alanpatrickryan

OMH’s Bootu Creek manganese mine produced 276,600 mt of manganese ore (213,361 mt of 35.73% Mn lumpy grade and 63,239 mt of 36.87% fines/SPP in the third quarter of 218. The second quarter 2018 output was only 185,600 mt of ore—132,497 mt of 35.52% lumpy and 46,103 mt of 36.13% Mn fines/SPP.
Sales were 251,972 mt of ore—179,321 mt of lumpy and 72,651 mt of fines/SPP in the third quarter of 2018 vs. 114,512 mt of lumpy and 35,250 mt of fines/SPP in the second quarter of 2018.
The C1 unit cash operating cost for the third quarter of 2018 was A$3.15 per dmtu ($2.30 per dmtu) as compared $402 ($3.04) in the second quarter. The decrease in the cash cost was due to production efficiencies achieved through higher plant through puts, higher yields from the Shekuma ore and improvement in plant utilization.
The plant’s tailing retreatment plant will be commissioned on the late first quarter of 2019 vs. the expected commissioning in October 2018. The facility is expected to produce about 250,000 mtpy of manganese fines with an average grade of 35-38% Mn for approximately eight years.
Finally, OMH’s said Tshipi, which it holds an effective 13% interest, exported 918,000 mt of manganese ore in the third quarter of 2018, representing a 6% increase from the same 2017 quarter.