With Cu at say $6000/ton and Co $60K in ground value at "current" prices is about 50/50 Cu/Co with about $2B for each. Economic?
Regal acquired Kalongwe in ?2014 and by 2015 there was a scoping study done which didn't even consider the cobalt as a by product and that study, I believe, showed the project could be economic. Add in cobalt with irregular distribution and you have the April 2018 DFS. Since April there have been on going updates to the plans for construction as well as actual site works. My summary of the GM could give you some idea of how NZC could progress from here. A couple of things not mentioned in that post:
At Friday's GM I did ask Adam Smits how this project compared to other ones he has worked on and taken some to production. He only said it was smaller than those.
[Since he (AS) came on board for the "engineering" aspects of Kalongwe in late 2016 he (and the team) has IMO advanced the 2015 scoping study to a point where it is nearly ready to go into a construction stage dependent on raising finance. The latter is probably a lot tougher in the current economic climate than what AS has on his plate. my impressions and thoughts-somewhat biased towards the company but probably close to the mark]
Also at the meeting I commented/asked about "the valley of death" for SP that awaits most companies between discovery and production as to how it might apply to NZC. Don't recall the response other than perhaps about risks - perceptions of the DRC, commodity prices etc.
I have since realised that both questions related to possible timing of construction. A subject that has to be officially announced if it comes to pass.
NZC Price at posting:
24.0¢ Sentiment: Hold Disclosure: Held