Upcoming Oman copper project inks deal for treatment of processed tailings

Upcoming Oman copper project inks deal for treatment of processed tailings

Green Tech Mining & Services (GTMS), a subsidiary of Vienna-based BPG Precious Metal Storage, has been awarded a contract to treat the processed tailings of a new copper-gold project due to commence operations in Al Mudhaibi Wilayat (North Al Sharqiyah Governorate) later this year.

Al Hadeetha Resources LLC, a partnership of Alara Resources of Australia and Oman-based investors, is developing the copper-gold project at Al Washi-hi Majaza in Al Mudhaibi. At the heart of the venture, which will kick off a new phase of copper mining in the Sultanate of Oman, is a 1 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) capacity copper concentration plant currently nearing completion at the mine site.

Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by Al Hadeetha Resources earlier this week, Green Tech Mining will reprocess all of the processed tailings generated from the project over the estimated 10-year life of the development. Additionally, the two parties will collaborate on the formulation of a feasibility study to identify environmentally safe options for the disposal of the tailings.

Tailings are the left-over materials from the processing of mined ore. If suitably reprocessed, they can be a source of valuable minerals. But if contaminated with chemicals, heavy metals and other hazardous ingredient,