Doppelmayr rope conveyor concept study looks promising for Apurimac iron ore

Posted by Daniel Gleeson on 25th November 2010

689cc6d5a2.jpegApurimac Ferrum (AF) has commenced a concept-level study into the potential for a rope conveyor (by Doppelmayr) for the Apurimac project in Peru. Early indications from the study indicate that a rope conveyor option is feasible, however the number of transfer points between conveyor sections is expected to be significant. The rope conveyor concept study is due for completion in the December quarter.

RopeCon is a long-distance continuous conveyor system suitable for the transportation of bulk materials and unit loads of any kind. It is the result of well-proven transport technology combined with Doppelmayr/Garaventa’s decades of experience in the ropeway industry.

Application areas:

  • Single conveyor lengths up to 30,000 m and more
  • Capacities of up to 25,000 t/h
  • Easy traverse of streets, rail tracks, rivers and other obstacles
  • Tower spacing up to 2,000 m

The Apurimac and Cuzco iron ore projects in Peru are large-scale iron ore projects, with Apurimac in the prefeasibility study stage. The company is seeking to establish a 10 – 20 Mt/y operation at Apurimac based on current JORC resources totalling 270 Mt (142.5 Mt Indicated and 127.5 Mt Inferred) with significant exploration upside. Strike Resources has a 44% interest in this project with potential to increase to 100% through a shoot-out mechanism.

Strike’s Joint venture company AF has continued to progress the development and exploration programs on the Apurimac and Cuzco projects during the last quarter. The focus remains Apurimac where the detailed prefeasibility Study (PFS), with a budgeted cost of $15 million, principally comprises:

  • A major drilling campaign with the objectives of increasing the current iron ore resources and increasing the Measured and Indicated resources within the total Resource to at least 250 Mt
  • Supplementing the initial PFS with trade-off studies to identify the optimum combination of annual mine production, products and ore transport method
  • Complete geotechnical and metallurgical core drilling and associated test work to facilitate mining studies and processing optimisation
  • Undertake additional baseline environmental studies
  • Further strengthen community relationships and programs, as a precursor to a potential Bankable Feasibility Study.