Golding’s equipment arrives at the Mt Carbine mine. (Photo: Golding)

The contract has been split into two phases to ensure a refined understanding of the schedule of costs in regard to the unique nature of mining hard rock tungsten. This was done to help de-risk the project and ensure scope delivery without having to build significant risk pricing upside into the contract. Phase 1 is estimated at 12-18 months, which will be completed on a rates and costplus basis. Thereafter, the parties intend to transition to rise and run matrix rates, on fleet composition and material type basis.

With Golding personnel on site fulltime, the ramp up toward open cut production is accelerating toward delivery and processing of first ore, EQR CEO Kevin MacNeill explained. “Equipment has started arriving, personnel appointments are underway as well as infrastructure establishment for the mining offices,” MacNeill said. Golding will incorporate some EQR equipment and personnel as the project transitions into mining the open cut.

EQR said it is transforming its tungsten assets at Mt Carbine, leveraging advanced technology, historical stockpiles and unexploited resource with the aim of being the pre-eminent tungsten producer in Australia.

Mt Carbine was discovered at the end of the 19th Century, and was a major tungsten producer in the 1970s and 1980s. The deposit is still relatively unexplored, according to EQR. In 2019, EQR entered a joint venture with CRONIMET Group, for the refurbishment, commissioning and ramp up of the tungsten processing plant at Mt Carbine. CRONIMET has significant experience in the use of gravity processing and sensor-based sorting technologies.

The Mt Carbine tungsten processing plant has been refurbished, commissioned and expanded to 300,000 mt/y capacity, and EQR said it plans to become a top three tungsten producer.