GGPChat

How long can Telfer run efficiently without feed from Havieron?

paddygall wrote: ↑Mon Jul 04, 2022 7:22 pm

speedymeadie wrote: ↑Mon Jul 04, 2022 6:27 pm Hi paddy. You say we have longer to wait for a 20mill RNS. With the present rate of exploration drilling how long do you think we have to wait? ATB Speedy

Hi Speedy,

we looking at roughly 12 months before the decline gets down to the basement rocks - I assume that's the level where they will excavate a platform that's large enough to site at least one and maybe multiple underground drilling rigs. There's a lot of drilling and assays to complete after that so probably another 12 months from when they start drilling - maybe more, so I'd say a minimum of 2 years from now, unless the growth drilling through the Eastern Breccia starts to throw up lots of big grades & intersections.

ATB - Paddy

Hi Paddy. Thanks for the reply, 2 years is not too long in the mining game. ATB Speedy

"How long can Telfer run efficiently without feed from Havieron?"

It didn't for many years. It has been saved recently by high gold prices. They would still keep it ticking over at a loss knowing that HAV will be requiring its services within 18 months or so. Cheaper than shutting it down and trying to restart it later.

Telfer life extended around this time last year for a couple of years with a nod to the Havieron Ore coming on line.

https://www.newcrest.com/sites/default/ ... elease.pdf

ATB RA

Telfer was recently extended to take hav’s 3Mt/yr as we know.
It can take 11Mt/ train (a total of 22Mt ish). At max chat.

I expect a major upgrade at teller if it is to take the sort of throughout demand from the bulk mining in future.

We’re looking at another $500m in costs perhaps?
Z

Aware of this, but just wondered how long it would keep running without Havieron ore. Mothballing/restarting have their own costs.

RationalAssessor wrote: ↑Tue Jul 05, 2022 12:09 pm Telfer life extended around this time last year for a couple of years with a nod to the Havieron Ore coming on line.

https://www.newcrest.com/sites/default/ ... elease.pdf

ATB RA

It says it in the document RA posted.

"Telfer’s future which will ensure the operation is able to continue for at least the next two years"

and putting it all back to the way they found it would be an horrendous cost.

No Zoros, it won’t cost $500m to upgrade Telfer.
As I have said previously, an Australian Metallurgist I happen to know through family said to me “You could build a 300koz processing plant at Havieron and have change out of $500m”

So you can guarantee it won’t cost anything like $500m to upgrade Telfer (that’s madness).

I would say a few $10s of millions tops…

From what I gather, Havieron ore and Telfer ore is largely quite similar apart from the Pyrrhotite and thus the new magnetic circuit required at Telfer on train 2 which is to be dedicated to Havieron.

FYI full Reclamation & decommissioning costs are said to be around $500m at Telfer.

I don’t know if it’s comparable, but the Moly plant at Cadia only cost $140m for the whole project.

Hi Speedie
A 20moz volume ( or possibly 30moz my assumption) won’t be confirmed for many years.
I say that as all the drill pads at the moment are in certain zones tackling targets down below.
When they get down to the basement rocks they will be in the southern side of the target and much closer to it.
They can only target certain areas from there and being 420m lower won’t mean they can go another 420m down , more likely 300-350m. This all depends what rigs they can fit into the Decline as underground rigs are smaller, unless a designated exploration Decline has a higher roofline.
I’m expecting a number of exploration Declines to shoot off in certain directions to target zones and then they will fan drill, maybe even a complete ring around the ore body.
Going to take many years to find out a total figure.

This is an example of fan drilling on an underground target.
They’re calling it a drill drive, but notice it’s central over the target zone.
Going back to the Eastern Breccia to infill drill it , to get over it near the centre would be a Decline depth of 8-900m below the top of the ore. That’s a length of around 6,000m @14%.
On the main ore body they need to fan drill over the north west end , so maybe a drill drive over the top of the ore body would be the first.
Trippa’s picture highlights these blank areas

You can’t use these images for anything other than a visual aid as the drills are drawn straight. For instance on the plan 141 shows into the northern zone well we know it curves round into the EB.
If you look at where 141 is shown there are big areas here that need drilling, so we won’t find out the boundary extents until underground drilling commences, will not be cost effective from the surface.
The blank areas can be seen on the left of the section as well but are not accurately defined on this

There are 2 trains at Telfer at the moment.
One is being converted to cope with upto 6m ton pa of high grade ore, with a new magnetic circuit to deal with the bismuth content in the pyrrhotite.
The other train will continue to deal with Telfers weak grades. They are not likely to mix Havieron weak ores with the high grade, so this is more likely to replace the Telfer ores on this train.

NCM I believe spent $90m on a new molybdenum plant at Cadia so these conversions are not likely to cost that sort of figure.
Costs will occur if a new train is required to produce other minerals coming from Havieron

Telfer tailings lake from satellite showing just how big it is

Paterson
Newcrest aim is to transform Telfer into a Paterson processing hub