High-grade ore

LION One Metals Ltd, the 100 per cent owner of the Tuvatu Gold Project located 17 kilometres from the Nadi International Airport, announced that their latest drilling has identified new high-grade mineralisation at Tuvatu.

A statement from their website said: "The grades intersected are significantly higher than other drill results in this immediate area and are located in the near-surface providing the possibility for early development."

The Tuvatu Gold Project consists of a high-grade, low sulphidation, epithermal gold deposit hosted inside a South Pacific style volcanic caldera. The deposit occurs along the Viti Levu lineament, Fiji's own corridor of high- grade gold deposits. Tuvatu is situated upon a five-hectare footprint inside a larger 384 hectare mining lease.

The grant of the Tuvatu Mining Lease to Lion One Metals in 2016 concluded the approvals process for the development of an underground goldmine and processing plant at Tuvatu, demonstrating strong Government support for Fiji's 85-year-old goldmining industry.

Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources permanent secretary Malakai Finau yesterday said after the grant of the mining lease in 2016 the company was supposed to proceed with infrastructure developments for the mining operation.

"They are supposed to create the necessary infrastructure for mining; how they would be processing the ore. And I understand this is what they are currently doing before mining operation actually starts," Mr Finau said.

However, he said the company had not given the ministry a likely starting date for the mining operations.

On the benefits the mining project would bring to Fiji he said: "The main benefit this type of operation brings to Fiji is a lot of employment for locals, especially during the construction phase of the mine; they might be employing a couple of hundred people during this time. Other benefits are in terms of taxation and duty revenues for Fiji, roading and other infrastructural developments which would benefit the local communities in the area."

On the progress of works at Tuvatu, the company said mine engineering and underground development was progressing alongside final detailed engineering for the Tuvatu processing plant and site infrastructure.

These areas are regularly reviewed and approved by mine inspectors from Fiji's Mineral Resource Department.