John Tumazos: Your press release is probably succinct and may simplify. Is the 1,000 tonne a day ball mill installation all that is necessary for the expansion where excess mine capacity exists and excess capacity exists in other parts of the process plant, flotation cells, et cetera, and tailings capacity exists or are there other parts of the expansion underway too?
Stephen Mullowney: Yes. So there’s other parts of the expansion underway as well. So the crushing circuit is being expanded first. And so that equipment should arrive onshore this month and then be going to Buckreef, so that’s jaw crushers and things of that nature. The plinths need to be built for the ball mill that should be built this month as well. There’s electrical opponents that need to come in as a result of the expansion and that’s going to come online in the new year. Capacity does need to be expanded. We have a plan for that as well, that’ll be locally done. And with regards to tailings, we do need — and I have told lots of our participants that after about 2 years, we do need a longer term tailings plan. We are in a process of doing that, putting that together, looking at a lot of dry stack options whether it’s through dry stack tailings in filter presses.
We’re also looking at thickeners and all those sort of type of processes as we speak to put that in place over time. But we can also expand our wet tailings facility if so desired in that period of time as well. So, rightfully, your question is right. I think we got all the components to that on mining. We can maintain current mining rates to achieve our output. We did a lot of mining last year and in our prior MD&A said that opened up the deposit for the medium-term and that is the case.
Andrew Cheatle : And just a point of clarity there, John, we don’t have a flotation cellular this time.
John Tumazos: In terms of regional exploration, could you talk about what your drilling programs might be in 2025 and 2026 as the cash flow comes in from the production or other uses of funds that may be priorities?
Stephen Mullowney: I will let Andrew talk. The regional program will develop over time, but…
Andrew Cheatle : Certainly — maybe if I could ask us to go back maybe, Stephen, just to the one slide of exploration.
Stephen Mullowney: Yes. Give me a second. Just, we have to go on the Q&A. I can’t…
Andrew Cheatle : You can even scroll on the bottom there. Just go to one of the arrows.
Stephen Mullowney: And there we go. There we go.
Andrew Cheatle : John, it’s a bit easier with this slide to talk about it. As you can see, the Main Zone with all the colors there in the center is very clear. Just to the immediate East of that, all those white dots. So far we understand there’s 3 zones over 3 kilometers anchored in the Northeast with the Eastern Porphyry deposit which is still open to the Northeast and in the South by an intermittent mining operation by some locals under the Chinese group. There is so little drilling in that, but there’s so much opportunity that we have to test. Outside of that, you can see some additional red arrows. I’ll start off with the East. We’ve identified another trend just off to the East side, you can see that red set of arrows.
You’ll notice also that it’s on the same trend as both the Eastern Porphyry, Anfield and the Main Zone. And similarly, if I then take your eye over to the extreme West or the left, again we’ve identified through field work an additional 2 trends there. So ’25 to ’26, there’s no shortage of targets to go and drill on that. Broadly in the region as you’d expect and I always like to use the phrase John, we obviously keep a track of who’s who in the zoo around us. And as opportunities arise there, and so there may be some further activity.
Stephen Mullowney: Yes. A lot of guys have approached us too. So, like, when I think through this and as I said, this business plan will develop more fully over time is once the processing plant is up and running, is there a hub and spoke model that can be had here? Because there’s a lot of high grade smaller type of pits and when you think about successful companies have done that, Calibre is one that comes to mind in Nicaragua. So, it’s a human capital constraint at this point in time, but certainly, that we need to focus on the processing plant, first; what’s on our property, second; and then go out look to how that all integrates into the region.
Andrew Cheatle : Yes. We have new drivers too. We have mostly been receiving, John, inbounds, which we assess, both locally and within Eastern Africa.
John Tumazos: If I can ask one more? As gold rises above $2,000, probably other projects advance in Tanzania, the graphite industry is also active in East Africa, are there shortages of skilled labor or any inputs to production?
Stephen Mullowney: Yes. So on that — on the inputs, we’ve been good thus far. On skilled labor where I think there is some and I think this is a global thing versus just a Tanzanian thing. There is a lack of highly skilled mining engineers, and that’s more of a global shortage than it is a Tanzanian shortage and we supplement our mining engineer skill set with professional services firms and individuals and supplement that with site. But with regards to the other disciplines around metallurgists and geologists, we haven’t seen a shortage in that skill set or a shortage of skilled labor in Tanzania to execute. I would say there’s excess supply of those skills in Tanzania but the one that is shortage and that’s global is mining engineers.
Andrew Cheatle : Yes. I think you said also, John, we have been able to attract key people and we also have a very modest turnover.
Stephen Mullowney: Yes.
Andrew Cheatle : So we’ve been able to retain very well, as such we wish to retain.
Stephen Mullowney: Yes. And I think, when you’re in a growing project it’s easier to attract and retain people as well. So as long as we continue to grow and pay people well, then we should be okay in that regard on the HR side.
Operator: I was just going to hand it over to you, Stephen, for questions in writing.
Michael Leonard: Yes.
Stephen Mullowney: No. We don’t have any text questions, Mike. Just Q&A maybe.
Operator: There are. You just need to click on the text column in the Q&A.
