Bauxite producer Metro Mining (ASX:MMI) hit a new shipping record in August 2024 with expansion activities at its Bauxite Hills Mine in Queensland delivering increased production.
The company reports a 13% increase in shipments compared to July, with 720,000 wet metric tonnes (WMT) shipped in August. The total is a 29% hike compared to tonnes shipped in July 2023.
The record comes despite a two-day shutdown during the month to replace conveyor belts at the barge loading facility and planned maintenance of the transhippers.
Shipments for the third quarter so far have reached 1.4 million WMT, while year-to-date production totals 2.9 million WMT following a daily record of 32,022 WMT.
This is in line with Metro’s full-year guidance of 6 million to 6.4 million WMT.
In late August, Metro revealed record shipments for the first half of 2024 of 1.5 million WMT, as previously reported by Mining.com.au.
This contributed to a 30% increase in second-quarter revenue, which came in at $19 million.
Metro has been focused on expansion activities at the Bauxite Hills operation and by the end of August the two main expansion components – the wobbler screening circuit/barge loading facility and Offshore Floating Terminal (OFT) Ikamba – were operating at nameplate and 92% capacity, respectively.
The junior producer, which has a market capitalisation of $202.5 million, also commissioned two Caterpillar 992 front end wheel loaders, which have double the capacity of the existing 988 loaders and support increased throughput rates of the screening system.
Metro says they complement the increased throughput of 1,500 tonnes per hour being achieved with the new wobbler screening circuit, while also being safer and more fuel efficient.
An additional assist tug will be mobilised in September and additional Scania R770 prime movers, capable of hauling up to 230 tonnes with a quad trailer configuration, will replace lower powered fleet.
As the new flow sheet is optimised, along with more favourable ore moisture and tides, Metro says it expects to see similar gains in monthly production and shipping rates in the coming months.
Metro is working to expand production at the Bauxite Hills Mine, which is located 95km north of Weipa on Western Cape York, to 6 million tonnes per annum, from 3.5 million tonnes per annum.
Mining operations are undertaken only in the dry season, which runs from about April to December.
Free-dig bauxite is mined by front-end loaders, trucked to a port infrastructure area, screened to a max product size of 100mm and fed onto the barge loading facility and into barges.
Barges are towed down the Skardon River to an anchorage point at sea where the bauxite is transhipped to freight vessels.
Write to Angela East at Mining.com.au
Images: Metro Mining
