Australian miner Sandfire Resources has received a mining licence for its Motheo mine in Botswana. The T3-Motheo project located in the Kalahari Copper Belt is expected to produce approximately 30,000mt of copper and 1.2mn ounces of silver, annually.
The Kalahari Copper Belt is one of the world’s under-explored copper-silver deposits. With the license, the company will set in motion the final permitting process for the $208mn project. The mine will be developed for two years and mining is expected to start in early 2022, while commissioning is scheduled for early 2023.
Earlier, in April, the company had raised its 2021 copper production guidance to 67,000-70,000mt. In the first quarter of 2021, Sandfire produced 16,803mt copper, in line with the full-year guidance.