The latest Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Haib copper-molybdenum project in southern Namibia estimates a mine life of 23 years with an after-tax net present value of US$1.351 billion at an eight per cent discount rate.
Average annual payable copper production is projected at 92,000 tonnes during the first decade, with costs of US$1.81 per pound C1 cash costs and US$2.05 per pound all-in sustaining costs over the same period.
At a long-term copper price assumption, the study delivers an internal rate of return of 20.1 per cent and a payback period of 3.9 years.
Upfront construction capital is estimated at US$1.559 billion, including a 10% contingency, while sustaining capital over the mine’s life is projected at US$543 million.
Capital intensity is calculated at US$16,871 per tonne of annual payable copper production in the first decade.
The project design calls for a 28 million tonne per annum mill and flotation plant supported by a seven million tonne per annum heap leach and solvent extraction–electrowinning facility.
Average recoveries are modelled at 89 per cent from milling and flotation and 74 per cent from heap leaching.
Power demand is expected to peak at 150 megawatts, to be drawn primarily from Namibia’s national grid and supplemented with hybrid renewable energy sources and battery storage.
Water requirements are estimated at 20 million cubic metres per year, to be sourced from the Orange River, some 30 kilometres away and potentially augmented by a pipeline from the Neckartal Dam 260 kilometres distant.
The permitting process is advancing with a mining licence application already submitted and environmental and social impact assessment work underway.
The current PEA is based on the August 2024 Mineral Resource Estimate, with new drilling and geological re-modelling scheduled for inclusion in an updated resource and technical study in the second half of 2026.
The latest Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Haib copper-molybdenum project in southern Namibia estimates a mine life of 23 years with an after-tax net present value of US$1.351 billion at an eight per cent discount rate.
Average annual payable copper production is projected at 92,000 tonnes during the first decade, with costs of US$1.81 per pound C1 cash costs and US$2.05 per pound all-in sustaining costs over the same period.
At a long-term copper price assumption, the study delivers an internal rate of return of 20.1 per cent and a payback period of 3.9 years.
Upfront construction capital is estimated at US$1.559 billion, including a 10% contingency, while sustaining capital over the mine’s life is projected at US$543 million.
Capital intensity is calculated at US$16,871 per tonne of annual payable copper production in the first decade.
The project design calls for a 28 million tonne per annum mill and flotation plant supported by a seven million tonne per annum heap leach and solvent extraction–electrowinning facility.
Average recoveries are modelled at 89 per cent from milling and flotation and 74 per cent from heap leaching.
Power demand is expected to peak at 150 megawatts, to be drawn primarily from Namibia’s national grid and supplemented with hybrid renewable energy sources and battery storage.
Water requirements are estimated at 20 million cubic metres per year, to be sourced from the Orange River, some 30 kilometres away and potentially augmented by a pipeline from the Neckartal Dam 260 kilometres distant.
The permitting process is advancing with a mining licence application already submitted and environmental and social impact assessment work underway.
The current PEA is based on the August 2024 Mineral Resource Estimate, with new drilling and geological re-modelling scheduled for inclusion in an updated resource and technical study in the second half of 2026.
