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measured-indicated and reserves for the
feasibility study. There isn’t much change
to the overall number but it is a significant
Rafaella prepares upgrade.”
In parallel with the open pit feasibil-
ity study, Rafaella has ramped up activity
for twin tungsten on the underground component of Santa
Comba.
The company announced in January
2020 that it would accelerate development
development of the fully permitted underground mine
and is now on track for first mining this
month.
A pilot plant is being constructed at San-
ta Comba to treat the stockpiled ore and
provide Rafaella with more information on
the mineralogy of the underground mate-
rial.
“All the feasibility study metallurgy was
focused on the open pit material so the
pilot plant will give us a good understand-
ing of the underground ore,” Turner said.
“Then, because it is fully permitted, once
metallurgical testing is completed, we can
start to move into full development under-
ground in parallel with advancing the open
pit.
“So, even though the open pit process
has been delayed we have been able to
speed up the underground, it’s all really
coming together.”
While the historical underground mine
is fully permitted, Rafaella requires a new
application for the open pit. Having spent
much of 2021 working on a water manage-
ment plan, Turner is confident the mining
Rafaella completed a 5,800m drilling licence application will be lodged this year.
ast failures in the tungsten space will programme in Spain in April Permitting in Europe often sends a
Pinform rather than deter Rafaella Re- shiver down the spine of ASX investors
sources Ltd when the time comes to build but Turner said new developments within
its Santa Comba project in Spain. tungsten,” he said. “The ore is very friable Spain and the wider continent meant ap-
Rafaella is moving rapidly towards com- so you can overgrind it and lose metal to provals were no longer insurmountable.
pletion of a resource update on Santa tailings. The lessons we have taken from “As that critical minerals thematic gath-
Comba – in Galicia, north-west Spain – the likes of Hemerdon [Drakelands], Bar- ers pace things are changing,” he said.
but managing director Steven Turner said ruecapado and La Parrilla is that you need “Even in Galicia, there is a new law iden-
the full feasibility study would not be com- to invest in the flowsheet up front. We have tifying strategic projects which could allow
pleted until further metallurgical test work visited the Renison tin mine in Tasmania us to accelerate development, especially
had been completed. and we are employing some of their les- as tungsten is clearly a critical material.”
“The mining is straightforward but the sons to boost fines recoveries.” Such is Turner’s confidence in the regu-
processing is where most investors are Metallurgical work was further impact- latory environment, he is considering fur-
concerned when it comes to tungsten,” ed by COVID but with Europe seemingly ther investments in the region.
Turner admitted to Paydirt. “We have shrugging off the worst of the pandemic, “We think now is a good time to be pick-
done a lot of work with Grinding Solutions Turner expects feasibility work to pick up ing up new projects in Spain,” he said.
UK – who do almost every tungsten pro- pace for the remainder of 2021. “You have to be selective where you go
ject in Europe – and because of that the The feasibility study will be informed and make sure you do everything properly
feasibility study has taken longer than we by an updated resource, announced on but we have proven capable of that.”
wished but we are not going to release it August 17, which increased measured- Pricing is also moving in Rafaella’s fa-
until we are certain.” indicated resources by 42%. The open pit vour with the ammonium paratungstate
Rafaella’s caution is well placed. The measured-indicated resource now stands (APT) price now above $US300/mtu.
handful of tungsten mines which have at 9.97mt @ 0.16% WO3 and 100 ppm tin “That $US300/mtu price is the mark a
reached production in the last decade for 16,063t of contained WO3 and 994t tin. lot of those previous feasibility studies
have been beset by various processing The increase in confidence is seen as were done at,” Turner said. “Our full fea-
issues stemming from grade control and crucial to the success of the project. sibility study will use $US275/mtu versus
incomplete met test work. Turner said Ra- “That was one of the other lessons of $US235/mtu in the PFS; our margins at
faella was determined not to run into simi- the failures, the importance of infill drill- that price are outstanding.”
lar problems. ing,” Turner said. “We really wanted to
“Recoveries can be very challenging in convert more of that inferred resource into – Dominic Piper

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