Maritana turns Black Swan foundations into construction

A$19.9 Million Extension Keeps Black Swan Moving

Maritana Minerals Limited (ASX:MRT) has added A$19.9 million to its early works commitment at the 2.5Mtpa Black Swan Processing Hub, extending the agreement with GR Engineering Services to 31 December 2026 while the larger EPC and reimbursable contract is still being finalised. The extra spending is intended to maintain detailed engineering, procurement and bulk earthworks rather than mark completion of the project’s main construction contract.

The company’s latest update places Black Swan firmly in the transition from site preparation to physical construction. Maritana previously reported that it had secured all statutory process-plant approvals and committed A$31.5 million to early works in its Black Swan construction update. The new extension takes the committed early works total to A$51.4 million, subject to the scope described in the announcement.

CIL Foundations Enter Concrete Stage

Civitech began constructing the first carbon-in-leach tank ring-beam foundations during October, completing reinforcement and formwork before starting concrete placement. Tank strakes are being prepared in the laydown area, with further foundations and tank erection to follow as work fronts become available.

That progress sits alongside the completed demolition of redundant front-end infrastructure. The cleared areas are being released for new conveyors, a regrind circuit and supporting equipment, while GRES continues dismantling the primary crusher, removing obsolete electrical infrastructure and preparing the mill building.

Grinding, ROM Pad and Equipment Procurement Advance

Specialised Reline Services has started removing the SAG mill liners, and Maritana has issued a letter of award to Hofmann Engineering for specialist refurbishment. The mill was rotated earlier in the assessment program for the first time in about 17 years, while inspection and removal of redundant cabling and equipment continue.

At the ROM pad, PCH Civil is undertaking bulk cut-to-fill work, rock placement and access construction. The revised design is intended to support a hub-and-spoke model in which ore from multiple regional mining operations can be received, stockpiled separately and blended. Orders have also advanced for the regeneration kiln, electrowinning cells and slurry samplers, with negotiations progressing for CIL tanks, intertank screens, elution columns and platework.

TSF4 Lift Creates Planned Three-Year Operating Window

Maritana is preparing to tender an additional lift of the existing TSF4 tailings facility. The company says the planned work would provide approximately three years of processing capacity, allowing TSF5 to be designed, approved and constructed in parallel. That is a planned staging strategy, not yet an operating outcome, and the announcement does not provide a construction cost or completion date for the lift.

Operational readiness is also being added to the project plan, with Chris Mardon appointed general manager operations. He is expected to lead the transition from project delivery through commissioning and into operations. Mining at Boorara remains targeted to restart in mid-2027, while a 60,000-metre resource conversion campaign continues across the Kalgoorlie Eastern Hub deposits. The company continues to target first gold in the second half of calendar 2027, but the unfinished EPC contract, procurement, tailings works and mining timetable leave several execution steps between today’s concrete pour and that target.