Koryx Copper has increased the planned processing capacity of its Haib Copper Project in southern Namibia to 48 million tonnes of run-of-mine material annually, while removing heap leaching from its main development plan as the company prepares to release a pre-feasibility study (PFS) before the end of November 2026.
The revised capacity follows a study by engineering consultant DRA Global aimed at identifying and removing restrictions in the proposed processing plant. The changes are intended to improve the economics of developing Haib, one of Namibia’s largest undeveloped copper deposits.
In an update released on Thursday, 8 October, Koryx said the proposed plant would crush 48 million tonnes of ore annually before using coarse particle flotation to remove approximately 12 million tonnes of low-grade material containing an average of 0.05% copper.
This would leave about 36 million tonnes of higher-grade material to enter the main flotation circuit, reducing the amount of material requiring further processing.
The approach is particularly important at Haib because the deposit contains enormous quantities of copper-bearing rock at relatively low grades. Processing costs, electricity consumption and the ability to recover copper efficiently are therefore central to the project’s commercial viability.
Koryx said metallurgical testing had demonstrated that coarse particle flotation could recover partially liberated copper sulphides at particle sizes of up to 450 microns.
The technology allows unwanted rock to be separated before the remaining material undergoes more intensive grinding, potentially reducing electricity consumption and improving the copper grade entering the flotation plant.
The company has also completed extensive testing using Jameson cells, which will operate alongside conventional flotation equipment.
According to Koryx, the combination is expected to maintain targeted copper recovery while improving concentrate grades and reducing the electricity requirements and physical space needed for flotation.
Another significant development is the removal of heap leaching from the PFS base case.
Earlier development plans included heap leaching approximately 50 million tonnes of oxide copper mineralisation. The revised design instead concentrates on producing copper and molybdenum concentrates through milling and flotation.
Koryx has not abandoned heap leaching entirely. Engineering work on the process is being completed to prefeasibility level, while provision will remain in the mine layout for its possible introduction in the future.
The company said the revised processing plant would use three crushing stages, including a gyratory crusher, secondary cone crushing and high-pressure grinding rolls, before ball milling and flotation.
The larger processing operation has also increased the project’s expected electricity requirements.
Koryx now estimates Haib’s maximum electricity demand at 260 megavolt-amperes, with annual consumption of approximately 1.45 terawatt-hours.
The company plans to obtain electricity through a 68-kilometre, double-circuit 220-kilovolt transmission line connecting the mine to NamPower’s Harib substation.
Solar photovoltaic generation and battery energy storage systems would supplement grid electricity, particularly during periods of high tariffs.
Koryx has signed a memorandum of agreement with NamPower, and engineering work on the connection is underway, with the final system design expected in November.
NamPower is reassessing the implications of Haib’s increased electricity requirements for its transmission network and is expected to provide an updated supply offer.
The project is also expected to require new transmission infrastructure and network upgrades in southern Namibia, which Koryx says would eventually be transferred to NamPower for operation and maintenance.
Water supply arrangements have progressed, with the Orange River selected as the preferred source of bulk water.
The proposed scheme would draw water from a single abstraction point approximately nine kilometres south of the mine and include an off-channel storage reservoir to maintain supplies during periods of low river flow and drought.
Koryx said the Orange River option was selected after technical assessments identified it as the lowest-cost feasible solution.
The company has signed a memorandum of understanding with NamWater, while an Infrastructure Development Agreement is being prepared to establish arrangements for constructing, operating, maintaining and eventually handing over the water infrastructure.
The Neckartal Dam remains a technically feasible alternative and could be considered if the project expands.
Koryx has also selected a location for a tailings storage facility capable of accommodating approximately 1.15 billion tonnes of tailings over the proposed mine’s operating life.
Nine potential locations were assessed against cost, capacity, environmental and social considerations, dam safety and operating efficiency.
The selected location is the only site identified as capable of accommodating the full projected tailings volume in a single facility. Its proximity to the proposed processing plant is also expected to reduce pumping distances and operating costs.
Environmental approvals are progressing alongside the engineering studies.
Koryx submitted environmental documentation supporting its application for an Environmental Clearance Certificate for the mining licence area on 19 August 2026, followed by documentation relating to Orange River water abstraction on 4 September.
The applications cover the proposed open-pit mining operation, processing facilities and associated water infrastructure.
The environmental studies include assessments of biodiversity, water resources, air quality, noise, archaeology, heritage, traffic and community health.
The company said the environmental authorities would obtain input from the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy before the Environmental Commissioner makes a decision.
Although Koryx anticipates a review period of up to six months because of the project’s scale and complexity, its latest announcement states that an environmental decision is expected before the end of 2027.
This timing requires clarification, as a six-month review from the August and September 2026 submissions would ordinarily fall in early 2027. Earlier project updates had also targeted environmental approval during the first half of 2027.
Koryx president and chief executive Heye Daun said the company remained on schedule to publish the PFS before the end of November.
“With conversion drilling now completed for the PFS and our metallurgical, infrastructure and permitting workstreams all advancing in parallel, we remain firmly on track to deliver the Haib PFS before the end of November 2026,” Daun said.
The company has completed its PFS conversion drilling programme, while metallurgical and engineering studies are approaching completion.
Preparations have also started for the definitive feasibility study planned for 2027, including selecting drill core and bulk samples for additional metallurgical testing.
Haib is a large porphyry copper deposit in the //Kharas Region, containing copper mineralisation associated with molybdenum and gold.
The March 2026 mineral resource estimate reported 744 million tonnes of indicated resources grading 0.28% copper, containing approximately 2.09 million tonnes of copper.
A further 579 million tonnes of inferred resources grading 0.24% copper contain approximately 1.39 million tonnes of copper.
These figures represent mineral resources rather than economically demonstrated ore reserves.
More than 160,000 metres of drilling has been conducted at Haib since the 1970s by successive operators, including Falconbridge, Rio Tinto, Teck and Koryx.
The November PFS is expected to provide updated estimates of capital expenditure, operating costs, production, mine life and project economics.
Those figures will be particularly important because the revised 48Mtpa processing plan, removal of heap leaching and increased electricity requirements could materially change the project’s financial outlook compared with earlier development studies.
The company has not yet announced a final investment decision or a date for construction and commercial production.
