As Hawsons Iron continues to advance the bankable feasibility study (BFS) for its namesake project, the company has appointed Australian Mine Design and Development (AMDAD) as its mine consultant.
The Brisbane-based company will assist Hawsons Iron in preparing a complete mine plan for the project, encompassing the final pit design, mining sequence, implementation schedules and fleet composition.
The mine plan will also detail Hawsons Iron’s power requirements, costings, and pathways to net-zero emissions.
AMDAD will offer a holistic perspective to Hawsons Iron’s development, with particular consideration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) inputs.
Just prior to AMDAD’s appointment, Hawsons Iron received a comprehensive report from Worley consulting business Advisian that gave the company greater insight into its ESG and sustainability direction.
The report identified three decarbonisation pathways to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions and outlined Hawsons Iron’s route to achieving net-zero emission status by 2035 through its ‘green steel’ production.
Hawsons Iron executive chairman Bryan Granzien said Advisian’s guidance has offered plenty of insight into the New South Wales project.
“Advisian has also developed a sustainability framework to enable us to embed material sustainability considerations within the project’s decision-making and value-improvement processes,” he said.
“The aim of this framework will be to minimise any exposure to risks from material sustainability issues and maximise any opportunities for beneficial outcomes.”
Granzien said despite being affected by weather disruptions, the company was working diligently to expedite the analysis of drill core samples from the project.
“The Bureau Veritas laboratory in Adelaide has been working 24–7 on the analysis of 500 samples a week to generate the assay results required to update the project’s mineral resource estimates as scheduled before the end of this quarter,” he said.
“Everyone’s been working around the clock to ensure we can deliver on time and meet our schedules despite ongoing weather disruptions.
“To date we’ve completed resource drilling at approved locations, and as soon as we can regain full site access we will complete the geotechnical drilling program that is providing the data required by the mining engineers to develop the pit plan.”
Other Hawsons Iron developments include the provision of metallurgical and process engineering lead assistance from BHM Process Consultants, diagnostic testing for the wet plant, and initial assessment of tailing options at the project.