Cove Kaz Capital Group is set to begin site preparation in July at Severniy Katpar in Kazakhstan to support final drilling for the definitive feasibility study (DFS).
Site work will commence at the open-pit mine at the Northern Katpar and Upper Kairakty tungsten deposits, which together are known as Severniy Katpar.
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Initial activity will include land surveying, establishment of site roads and preparation of drill pads.
Core drilling work has been scheduled for August, after which existing access roads will be upgraded.
Additional measures such as perimeter fencing and installation of weather monitoring stations form part of the early site development.
The project will involve the use of heavy industrial equipment, and increased road activity is expected between July and November as the site prepares for further drilling.
Cove Kaz Capital Group CEO Dominic Heaton said: “This is a demonstrable moment of establishing a base camp at Northern Katpar, the first major commercial activity on-site since its initial exploration during the Soviet Era.
“These activities will support the drilling and engineering teams as we proceed with the final engineering studies to develop the tungsten project.
“Through mutual cooperation with our partner Tau-Ken Samruk, Cove Kaz is pleased to advance the project to this final phase prior to production.”
Feasibility studies completed in April 2023 found that Severniy Katpar contains the largest known undeveloped tungsten resource worldwide.
The Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant mineral resource is estimated at 1.4 million tonnes of tungsten trioxide.
Anticipated annual production is approximately 5,000t at Northern Katpar and 7,000t at Upper Kairakty, totalling 12,000t per year.
This output is projected to account for around 15% of current global tungsten mine production.
To support the study, Cove Kaz Capital Group has made a senior executive appointment in Kazakhstan.
In February this year, the company signed agreements with Tau-Ken Samruk National Mining Company to progress the development of tungsten deposits in Kazakhstan.
