First Concentrate Production At Kombat Mine


TORONTO - Trigon Metals Inc. reported the first copper concentrates were produced at the Kombat Mine in Namibia. Teams worked through the Christmas period to complete the install of filter presses and run ore through the full production process to achieve this milestone, meeting management's forecasted goal.

The concentrate produced exceeded the expectations of management, demonstrating that the combination of new equipment from Xinhai and refurbished equipment from the historic operation are operating well. The feed material for this initial production was sub optimal lower grade ore, while grind size, residence times and reagent use are being optimized, but satisfactory copper grades were achieved approaching 20% copper and over 600 g/t silver, well ahead of expectation at this stage of start-up. Production continues, building up to first concentrate shipments toward the end of January. A declaration of full commercial production is forecast for March 2022, as the mine production ramps up and systems are optimized.

Jed Richardson, President and CEO, said, "This first production is a tremendous milestone for the Company, the Kombat community and our shareholders. Successful concentration of copper represents a major de-risking of the mine. A functioning mill is the primary technical hurdle in a mine's operation, and that hurdle has been overcome at Kombat. I cannot overstate how proud I am of our team in reaching this goal; battling through shipping challenges, COVID-19 and working through the Christmas holidays."