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Montezuma Mining scoping study results support manganese mining operation

Published: 11:51 10 May 2018 AEST

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High purity manganese is used for lithium-ion battery production

Montezuma Mining Company Ltd (ASX:MZM) has received scoping study results for its 100% owned Butcherbird Manganese Project in Western Australia.

The study was designed to focus on open pit development and processing of the Yanneri Ridge deposit within the project.

Significantly, the results indicate an economically and technically viable project with upside.

Montezuma will now aim to complete a pre-feasibility study (PFS) and apply for regulatory consents in 2018/2019, with development targeted in 2020/2021.

The company has sufficient capital to fund the completion of the PFS and definitive feasibility study as currently budgeted.

READ: Montezuma Mining to rename company Element 25

Montzeuma’s executive director Justin Brown said: "Following successful laboratory scale test work conducted by the CSIRO in 2017, Montezuma decided to accelerate the due diligence process and its own understanding of the Butcherbird Project by engaging experts to assist with a scoping study concerning development and mining of the Butcherbird.

“The results were encouraging and a clearer pathway to the project's development has been mapped out.

“Montezuma aims to complete a pre-feasibility study and progress the project towards development.

“We see great potential at the Butcherbird for increasing the resource and rapid mine development leading to Montezuma becoming a manganese producer in the near-term.”

Low-cost producer of manganese products

The scoping study confirms that the Butcherbird Manganese Project has the potential to become a low operating cost producer of electrolytic manganese metal and manganese sulphate.

The deployment of the low strip ratio, low mining cost mine, together with high recovery low cost atmospheric leaching, means that the project has the potential to be brought on line cost competitively.

By using the project’s substantial resource base, it can then expand into the growing battery minerals market.

In addition, the project straddles the sealed Great Northern Highway and Goldfields Gas Pipeline, minimising infrastructure costs.

Australia’s largest onshore manganese resource

The Butcherbird Manganese Project hosts Australia’s largest onshore manganese resource.

The project comprises of large tonnages of near-surface manganese oxide ore across eight deposits.

The global resource at Butcherbird stands at 180 million tonnes grading 10.8% manganese.

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