Group 6 Metals (ASX: G6M) has issued a progress report on construction activities at its Dolphin tungsten mine redevelopment project on King Island, Tasmania.
The contractor has completed 70% mechanical installation of all major equipment packages on-site, with the remainder scheduled for February.
Victoria-based Gekko Systems’ construction team is accelerating work on the site in preparation for commissioning early in the New Year.
The electrical work for the main switchgear room and the motor control center has been completed, and the cable connection work is proceeding as planned.
The mechanical and electrical installation of the fracturing and screening circuits was also completed and power was applied to begin pre-commissioning and area testing.
Bump testing of the motor was completed ahead of New Year’s wet commissioning.
tailings storage facility
Construction activities for Stage 1 of the Dolphin Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) are reportedly progressing well.
The Group 6 onsite team is utilizing historical stockpiles of rock for the TSF and the rest of the mine site support infrastructure, with a view to receiving the first ore through the processing plant in March.
Construction on the dedicated power plant, which will provide power for commissioning, is expected to begin in early February.
investigator digging
Group 6 is also preparing for a drilling campaign at the Investigator Observatory, located six kilometers west of Dolphin.
The rig has been mobilized and is expected to arrive at King Island in January.
Drilling will begin soon and will include four diamond holes to test the western edge of Grassy Granite north of the Investigator 21 observatory.
When the Investigator last drilled in 2018, Group 6 identified high-grade mineralization with one hole crossing 3.3 meters graded 1.7% tungsten trioxide.
This intersection was considered ‘geologically significant’ as it identified high-grade mineralization at three locations around the Grassy granodiorite (Dolphin, Bold Head and Investigator).
Group 6 said at the time that the findings “enhanced the overall prospects for exploration of large-scale mineralized intrusions.”
The company is trying to outline an economic reserve that will extend Dolphin’s lifespan beyond my current estimate of 14 years.