PROCESSING

W Resources opens optimised La Parilla plant

London-based tungsten, tin and gold producer W Resources has completed a plant improvement programme at the La Parrilla mine in Spain, achieving a 60% recovery rate for tungsten despite engineering setbacks caused by record rainfall in the region.

A jig installation at La Parrilla in March 2019

A jig installation at La Parrilla in March 2019

Unseasonal weather conditions during early February caused flooding in an adjacent historic mine, making it made it unsafe for the team to access the higher-grade ore and delaying the recommencement of production until mid-February.

"It is frustrating that as we find ourselves on the cusp of seeing significant increases in the production of concentrate with much-improved plant processing, we are denied access to our highest-grade ore due to high water levels," said Michael Masterman, chairman of W Resources.

"The team is working hard to resolve this and as soon as the water levels fall and we can safely access our higher-grade ore, we can then start to ramp-up to more significant growth in concentrate production," added Masterman.

The company is taking steps to lower the water level and regain access to the higher-grade ore and these steps will create a permanent solution covering the life of the mine, said the company.

Processing will continue using a stockpile of mid and lower level grade ore on-site, and the amount of concentrate expected to be produced in Q1 and Q2 2021 will be ahead of any previously reported quarter, said W Resources. 

La Parilla has an Australasian Joint Ore Reserves Committee compliant resources total 49 million tonnes at a grade of 998 parts per million tungsten trioxide. and JORC compliant reserves of 29.8mt at a diluted grade of 931ppm WO3.

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