www.orexplore.com
Innovation is a hot topic across all facets of
mineral exploration as companies seek to
streamline processes and enhance efficiencies,
but practical solutions are few and far between.
Enter Australian-Swedish technology company
Orexplore Technologies, who believes they have
a solution effective across the entire spectrum.
While most exploration innovations are focused on the chemical assay proprietary software platform, Insight®, produces a 3D visualisation of the drill
component of the exploration process, Orexplore’s GeoCore X10® digital core core’s interior, allowing geology teams to look around and through the sample
analysis technology is being adapted to provide solutions to explorers, develop- almost immediately.
ers and miners. Suitable throughout the discovery cycle, from decision support Extracted data can be accessed in minutes and easily shared through the
to project techno-economics, orebody characterisation, sorting, and sample Orexplore Insight® software platform while also allowing the export of lithology,
optimisation, the GeoCore X10® solution is fast, sustainable and perhaps the RQD and elemental data, planar and linear geological structures and density to
biggest drawcard, mobile. preferred geo-modelling software.
A rock mass scanning technology using XRF and CT scanning technology to “Users are transporting information, not core,” Giroud says.
extract structure, density, chemical and mineralogy data, the GeoCore X10®
provides a digital “through the rock” image of drill core samples, with results With units deployed in-field, including a recently delivered commercial project for
available on site and within 15 minutes of extraction, opening a world of pos- Wiluna Mining Corporation Ltd on its namesake gold operation in Western Austral-
sibilities for geology teams. ia, Orexplore’s custom-made sea containers take mobile scanning and portability
to the next level. In a matter of days, clients can have an on-site scanning lab, with
“Our technology fits perfectly with the increasing demand from industry for the self-sufficient containers able to be deployed anywhere, globally.
fast, in-field information from drilling that’s fit-for-purpose and highly targeted
towards improving the speed and quality of exploration decision-making,” “The deployment at Wiluna in conjunction with their exploration drilling further
Orexplore managing director Brett Giroud explains. supports Orexplore’s strategy and vision, and we are enjoying delivering new value
with innovative companies such as Wiluna who seek to transform the exploration
While it has ambitions to cover the entire exploration process, Orexplore’s primary space through technology adoption,” Giroud said in announcing the partnership.
focus at present is providing information at the beginning of the drilling process.
Under the agreement, Orexplore placed a containerised unit housing multiple
“There is a huge time component in almost every step of the exploration process, GeoCore X10® units and the associated Orexplore Insight analysis software, with
and not all of them are assay related,” Giroud says. “In some instances, you need an accompanying scanning technician to operate the unit and integrate it into the
the complete JORC-compliant assay, but there is other data which, if delivered mine’s workflows.
quickly, can significantly affect decision-making
timelines. Seeing the application of the technology in the
field really illustrates the value potential and news
“Allowing geologists to immediately access data on travels fast in this industry.
orebody characteristics such as structure, altera-
tion, density, and mineralogy means they can make Orexplore will operate the units on a lease basis, a
informed decisions while the drill rigs are still in the model ideally suited to the campaign-based systems
field. The GeoCoreX10® provides data that can be of explorers.
instantly accessed by exploration teams anywhere “The fridges can support some field based decision
in the world, bypassing the need for timely uploading processes that have historically only relied on long-lead
and logging. assay processes. If there is information on structure,
“Not only are you receiving data immediately, but the lithology and alteration available straight away this can Drill for
GeoCore X10® also gives users a 3D representa- speed up workflows.”
tion through the core, allowing geologists to examine While 3D imaging of the drill core is the immediate
internal structures and texture in depth. priority, Orexplore also has its eyes on other aspects of
“It has the potential to be transformational for the exploration sector.” the exploration process.
The concept behind the GeoCoreX10®’s functionality has been in development Giroud’s background in delivering disruptive technology projects for Tier-1 miners
since the 1980s when geotechnical engineer Anders Ullberg –who was developing gives him and Orexplore an intimate knowledge of the global megatrends to which information.
new methods for scanning minerals in rock – met professor of radiology Ragnar the industry needs a solution.
Kullenberg – who was researching the use of X-ray fluorescence to measure bone “We are mapping our market entry strategy to address the industry pain points.
minerals in the human body. Our technology is capable of so much more; we’re just getting started,” Giroud
After significant focus and development in the world-renowned Swedish innova- says. “From exploration decision support, operational assay efficiency optimisa-
tion sector, Kent Swick of powerhouse drilling company Swick Mining Services tion and ore sorting, through to potential grade control applications, we are well- Digital geology at your fingertips.
backed the developers and brought the technology to Australia for further develop- positioned to create added benefits to our customers.”
ment. To achieve those aims, Orexplore is continuing to advance the GeoCore X10®’s
The result? The GeoCore X10® – affectionately known as a “fridge” by the team capabilities with a focus on everything from project studies to grade control, ore
at Orexplore. A portable, easily deployed scanning unit, ready for use as the core is sorting and crushing and recoveries.
brought to the surface. Capable of scanning and analysing up to four 1-metre core “We will continue advancing the units with new sensing technology all the time,”
samples per hour, at the touch of a single push-button, the GeoCore X10® brings Giroud says. “And, over time, we will use the information we receive from industry
form and functionality – offering digital geology at the users’ fingertips. and start producing ‘self-driving’ units which will allow the geologists more time
Offering a combination of CT and XRF scanners to test for detected elements, for high-level thinking.”
emerging mineralogy, geological structure, texture, and density, Orexplore’s
Fast . Mobile . Sustainable
Tietto Minerals Ltd (ASX:TIE) is on track to pour first gold from very supportive of us and we are very grateful for the number of
Abujar in Q4 2022 and investors should take plenty of confidence different measures which have been put in place to support the de-
from the fact every milestone to date has been completed either on velopment of this project,” Wang said.
time or ahead of schedule. “One of those measures is the 33km power line which is considered
Sticking to the script is the something Tietto founder and managing a national priority and set up specifically for our project. We believe
director Caigen Wang has prided himself on since first stepping foot
an initiative like that just goes to show how much support there is
Abujar: West Africa’s bujar: West Africa’s bujar: West Africa’s bujar: West Africa’s
A A A in Cote d’Ivoire at the turn of the last decade. This has been evident for our project.”
from the moment the first holes were drilled into the project in mid-
The recent DFS was based on development of a 4 mtpa open pit
2015, all the way through to the recent study phase and will almost
mining operation at Abujar and delivered robust economics across
certainly continue into the upcoming construction stage.
a range of gold prices starting at $US1,200/oz. It was well received
n n n Wang and the rest of the Tietto team have never had to look far across the investment community with the likes of Canaccord Ge-
next gold mineext gold mineext gold mineext gold mine
nuity, Euroz Hartleys, Foster Stockbroking and Petra Capital all lift-
afield for inspiration to deliver Abujar on time and on budget, with
ing their respective price targets for Tietto.
a growing list of West African projects fulfilling the criteria in recent
years, including recent Ivorian developments Yaouré and Ity, as
well as West African Resources Ltd’s new Sanbrado mine in Burkina
Faso. “Our valuation rises on higher gold production and longer
“We want to repeat the success which some of our fellow juniors life-of-mine driven by the DFS.
E
Exciting times loom ahead for ASX-listed gold xciting times loom ahead for ASX-listed gold have had in the past in West Africa,” Wang said. “There are some Foster Stockbroking
very impressive projects built by Australian companies and others
developer Tietto Minerals Ltd after confirmation the eveloper Tietto Minerals Ltd after confirmation the
d from around the world and we are very much looking forward to
c the opportunity to build Abujar, which will be West Africa’s next Each of those groups also backed the company to deliver on its
company’s already robust Abujar project in Cote ompany’s already robust Abujar project in Cote
gold mine.”
promise to pour first gold by the end of 2022, attributing their con-
d Tietto took a major stride towards beginning formal construction fidence to Tietto having “the right people” with the requisite skills to
d’Ivoire continues to get bigger and better.’Ivoire continues to get bigger and better.
works at Abujar, about 30km from the major regional city of Daloa, keep pace with Abujar’s aggressive development timeline.
following the release of a robust DFS in October which confirmed A key recruit for the company earlier this year was Matthew Wilcox
the project will sit comfortably among the top 20 gold mines in West as chief operations officer. Having recently overseen the successful
Africa once up and running. build of the 2.6 mtpa mine at Sanbrado for West African Resources,
he was also integral in the construction of Nord Gold’s 4 mtpa Bissa
“Tietto expects Abujar to rank among the top 20 gold mines and 8 mtpa Bouly gold projects, both in Burkina Faso.
in West Africa, all of which are owned by considerably larger Wilcox has already assembled a strong project development team
for the Abujar build – currently comprised of Guillaume Hubert
capped companies, highlighting the valuation present. (earthworks manager), Daniel Kotzee (construction manager), Hes-
Canaccord Genuity bon Okwayo (commercial manager) and Beatrice Godde (HSE su-
perintendent).
Prior to completion of the DFS, Wilcox was integral in securing
The study indicated a remarkable 260,000oz would be produced an unused ball mill which allowed Tietto to increase the targeted
from Abujar in the first year alone – up 30% on the previous esti- throughput to 4 mtpa with 20% upscale capability.
mate – and an average 200,000 ozpa over the first six years. Some
20% more gold will also be delivered over the life-of-mine, based on “There’s a lot of very good engineering work done on this project
a 68% increase in project reserves and 78% uplift to the indicated now and the amount of procurement and tendering we’ve done
resource. In a further boost for Tietto, the pre-production capex of has put us in a very good position which means we’ll be able to
$US200 million was down 13% on previous estimates. move very quickly once the finance comes in,” Wilcox said.
Tietto will soon be turning its attention to construction at Abujar af- “We want to take this project as far forward as we can with mini-
ter recently mandating Taurus Mining Finance Fund No.2 L.P. to de- mum cash flow and I’m very confident we can do that.”
Company details: Abujar DFS – October 2021 liver up to $US140 million of debt funding to build the project. The While the focus is on development of an open pit at Abujar, potential
five-year loan allows for early repayment at any time without penalty underground and heap leach options are also under consideration.
Tietto Minerals Ltd (ASX: TIE) Mine and processing life: 11 years and requires no mandatory hedging. Tietto has already flagged improvements to the outcomes in the
Office: Unit 7, 162 Colin Street, Ore processing rate: 4 mtpa fresh “We are extremely pleased to be working with Taurus who can DFS through a 30,000m infill drilling campaign to increase resource
West Perth WA 6005 ore blend deliver the funds needed on our timeline,” confidence, as well as 5,000m of deep drilling
Phone: +61 (8) 9420 8270 Wang said. “Our experienced project build to investigate the underground potential. Up
Fax: +61 (8) 6316 1428 Average production (years 1-6): team has been advancing early works and to 20 regional targets within 10km of the pro-
posed plant site will also be tested over the
Email: [email protected] 200,000oz now have confidence the debt funding will coming months.
Web: www.tietto.com Average production (LOM): be in place as they proceed with the major
Twitter: @TiettoMinerals 155,000oz works needed to develop the Abujar gold The company owns and operates its own drill-
LinkedIn: Tietto Minerals Ltd Revenue: $US2.87 billion project into West Africa’s next gold mine.” ing fleet of six diamond rigs which are current-
ly completing about 10,000m per month for
Key people: AISC (years 1-6): $US804/oz The mandated project development facility an average cost of $35/m. Since the first ma-
from Taurus is supported by Tietto’s exist-
Francis Harper (non-executive AISC (LOM): $US832/oz ing cash reserves of $32.8 million, with the chine was purchased in July 2018, Tietto has
drilled more than 154,000m into Abujar, sav-
chairman), Dr Caigen Wang Free cash flow (pre-tax): company anticipating a further $10 million ing shareholders an estimated $US18 million.
(managing director), Mark Strizek $US1.28 billion in options will be exercised before the end Tietto has produced multiple high-grade gold
of December 2021.
(executive director), Dr Paul Kitto Average free cash flow (LOM): Tietto is also hopeful the mining convention results from drilling this year, including recent
(technical director), Hanjing Xu $US118 million – the final regulatory step to have Abujar hits at AG Core of 2m @ 102.39 g/t gold within
(non-executive director), Matthew EBIDTA: $US1.52 billion fully permitted for production – will be rati- 7m @ 30.67 g/t gold and 22m @ 5.62 g/t gold
Wilcox, (chief operations officer) fied by the Ivorian Government before the including 5m @ 17.87 g/t gold.
Matthew Foy (company secretary) Payback: 0.9 years end of the calendar year. The company re- “It’s a credit to the team of drillers and the ex-
ploration team on site that are churning out
Fred Yao N’Kanza (country manager) NPV (pre-tax): $US959 million ceived its environment approval in October an incredible amount of diamond core and
2020 and two months later was granted the
IRR (pre-tax): 115% exploitation (mining) licence for the project. keeping the lab full,” Tietto executive director
Pre-production capital: $US176 million Wang said both company and project had Mark Strizek said.
Contingency: $US24 million received strong support from key government departments since “When you’ve got this much free gold in the system, it can be dif-
Tietto’s arrival in country and he expected that would continue ficult to sample it adequately, so the more drilling you put in, the
through the upcoming construction and operational phases. more gold you find. Not many companies would be in this position;
“From the beginning until now, the Government has always been to be staring at building a project and still committing to 10,000m
*Based on a $US1,700/oz gold price of drilling a month.”
PAGE 20 AUGUST 2020 AUSTRALIA’S PAYDIRT
Tietto Minerals Ltd (ASX:TIE) is on track to pour first gold from very supportive of us and we are very grateful for the number of
Abujar in Q4 2022 and investors should take plenty of confidence different measures which have been put in place to support the de-
from the fact every milestone to date has been completed either on velopment of this project,” Wang said.
time or ahead of schedule. “One of those measures is the 33km power line which is considered
Sticking to the script is the something Tietto founder and managing a national priority and set up specifically for our project. We believe
director Caigen Wang has prided himself on since first stepping foot
an initiative like that just goes to show how much support there is
Abujar: West Africa’s bujar: West Africa’s bujar: West Africa’s bujar: West Africa’s
A A A in Cote d’Ivoire at the turn of the last decade. This has been evident for our project.”
from the moment the first holes were drilled into the project in mid-
The recent DFS was based on development of a 4 mtpa open pit
2015, all the way through to the recent study phase and will almost
mining operation at Abujar and delivered robust economics across
certainly continue into the upcoming construction stage.
a range of gold prices starting at $US1,200/oz. It was well received
n n n Wang and the rest of the Tietto team have never had to look far across the investment community with the likes of Canaccord Ge-
next gold mineext gold mineext gold mineext gold mine
nuity, Euroz Hartleys, Foster Stockbroking and Petra Capital all lift-
afield for inspiration to deliver Abujar on time and on budget, with
ing their respective price targets for Tietto.
a growing list of West African projects fulfilling the criteria in recent
years, including recent Ivorian developments Yaouré and Ity, as
well as West African Resources Ltd’s new Sanbrado mine in Burkina
Faso. “Our valuation rises on higher gold production and longer
“We want to repeat the success which some of our fellow juniors life-of-mine driven by the DFS.
E
Exciting times loom ahead for ASX-listed gold xciting times loom ahead for ASX-listed gold have had in the past in West Africa,” Wang said. “There are some Foster Stockbroking
very impressive projects built by Australian companies and others
developer Tietto Minerals Ltd after confirmation the eveloper Tietto Minerals Ltd after confirmation the
d from around the world and we are very much looking forward to
c the opportunity to build Abujar, which will be West Africa’s next Each of those groups also backed the company to deliver on its
company’s already robust Abujar project in Cote ompany’s already robust Abujar project in Cote
gold mine.”
promise to pour first gold by the end of 2022, attributing their con-
d Tietto took a major stride towards beginning formal construction fidence to Tietto having “the right people” with the requisite skills to
d’Ivoire continues to get bigger and better.’Ivoire continues to get bigger and better.
works at Abujar, about 30km from the major regional city of Daloa, keep pace with Abujar’s aggressive development timeline.
following the release of a robust DFS in October which confirmed A key recruit for the company earlier this year was Matthew Wilcox
the project will sit comfortably among the top 20 gold mines in West as chief operations officer. Having recently overseen the successful
Africa once up and running. build of the 2.6 mtpa mine at Sanbrado for West African Resources,
he was also integral in the construction of Nord Gold’s 4 mtpa Bissa
“Tietto expects Abujar to rank among the top 20 gold mines and 8 mtpa Bouly gold projects, both in Burkina Faso.
in West Africa, all of which are owned by considerably larger Wilcox has already assembled a strong project development team
for the Abujar build – currently comprised of Guillaume Hubert
capped companies, highlighting the valuation present. (earthworks manager), Daniel Kotzee (construction manager), Hes-
Canaccord Genuity bon Okwayo (commercial manager) and Beatrice Godde (HSE su-
perintendent).
Prior to completion of the DFS, Wilcox was integral in securing
The study indicated a remarkable 260,000oz would be produced an unused ball mill which allowed Tietto to increase the targeted
from Abujar in the first year alone – up 30% on the previous esti- throughput to 4 mtpa with 20% upscale capability.
mate – and an average 200,000 ozpa over the first six years. Some
20% more gold will also be delivered over the life-of-mine, based on “There’s a lot of very good engineering work done on this project
a 68% increase in project reserves and 78% uplift to the indicated now and the amount of procurement and tendering we’ve done
resource. In a further boost for Tietto, the pre-production capex of has put us in a very good position which means we’ll be able to
$US200 million was down 13% on previous estimates. move very quickly once the finance comes in,” Wilcox said.
Tietto will soon be turning its attention to construction at Abujar af- “We want to take this project as far forward as we can with mini-
ter recently mandating Taurus Mining Finance Fund No.2 L.P. to de- mum cash flow and I’m very confident we can do that.”
Company details: Abujar DFS – October 2021 liver up to $US140 million of debt funding to build the project. The While the focus is on development of an open pit at Abujar, potential
five-year loan allows for early repayment at any time without penalty underground and heap leach options are also under consideration.
Tietto Minerals Ltd (ASX: TIE) Mine and processing life: 11 years and requires no mandatory hedging. Tietto has already flagged improvements to the outcomes in the
Office: Unit 7, 162 Colin Street, Ore processing rate: 4 mtpa fresh “We are extremely pleased to be working with Taurus who can DFS through a 30,000m infill drilling campaign to increase resource
West Perth WA 6005 ore blend deliver the funds needed on our timeline,” confidence, as well as 5,000m of deep drilling
Phone: +61 (8) 9420 8270 Wang said. “Our experienced project build to investigate the underground potential. Up
Fax: +61 (8) 6316 1428 Average production (years 1-6): team has been advancing early works and to 20 regional targets within 10km of the pro-
posed plant site will also be tested over the
Email: [email protected] 200,000oz now have confidence the debt funding will coming months.
Web: www.tietto.com Average production (LOM): be in place as they proceed with the major
Twitter: @TiettoMinerals 155,000oz works needed to develop the Abujar gold The company owns and operates its own drill-
LinkedIn: Tietto Minerals Ltd Revenue: $US2.87 billion project into West Africa’s next gold mine.” ing fleet of six diamond rigs which are current-
ly completing about 10,000m per month for
Key people: AISC (years 1-6): $US804/oz The mandated project development facility an average cost of $35/m. Since the first ma-
from Taurus is supported by Tietto’s exist-
Francis Harper (non-executive AISC (LOM): $US832/oz ing cash reserves of $32.8 million, with the chine was purchased in July 2018, Tietto has
drilled more than 154,000m into Abujar, sav-
chairman), Dr Caigen Wang Free cash flow (pre-tax): company anticipating a further $10 million ing shareholders an estimated $US18 million.
(managing director), Mark Strizek $US1.28 billion in options will be exercised before the end Tietto has produced multiple high-grade gold
of December 2021.
(executive director), Dr Paul Kitto Average free cash flow (LOM): Tietto is also hopeful the mining convention results from drilling this year, including recent
(technical director), Hanjing Xu $US118 million – the final regulatory step to have Abujar hits at AG Core of 2m @ 102.39 g/t gold within
(non-executive director), Matthew EBIDTA: $US1.52 billion fully permitted for production – will be rati- 7m @ 30.67 g/t gold and 22m @ 5.62 g/t gold
Wilcox, (chief operations officer) fied by the Ivorian Government before the including 5m @ 17.87 g/t gold.
Matthew Foy (company secretary) Payback: 0.9 years end of the calendar year. The company re- “It’s a credit to the team of drillers and the ex-
ploration team on site that are churning out
Fred Yao N’Kanza (country manager) NPV (pre-tax): $US959 million ceived its environment approval in October an incredible amount of diamond core and
2020 and two months later was granted the
IRR (pre-tax): 115% exploitation (mining) licence for the project. keeping the lab full,” Tietto executive director
Pre-production capital: $US176 million Wang said both company and project had Mark Strizek said.
Contingency: $US24 million received strong support from key government departments since “When you’ve got this much free gold in the system, it can be dif-
Tietto’s arrival in country and he expected that would continue ficult to sample it adequately, so the more drilling you put in, the
through the upcoming construction and operational phases. more gold you find. Not many companies would be in this position;
“From the beginning until now, the Government has always been to be staring at building a project and still committing to 10,000m
*Based on a $US1,700/oz gold price of drilling a month.”
PAGE 20 AUGUST 2020 AUSTRALIA’S PAYDIRT
www.paydirt.com.au