London-based Tri-Star Resources, a major investor in a joint venture antimony roaster project under development at Sohar Port and Freezone, has awarded key contracts for the Oman project.

The new contracts are for delivery of the main antimony roasting equipment including the rotary kiln and dry and wet gas handling circuitry, representing the core operational equipment packages for the Oman Antimony Roaster (OAR).

Tri-Star Resources said joint venture named Strategic & Precious Metals Processing (SPMP) is making significant progress as it moves further into the procurement phase of the OAR.  The company has a 40 per cent equity interest in SPMP. The balance is held by Oman Investment Fund, a sovereign wealth fund of the sultanate with a 40 per cent equity, and DNR Industries (20 per cent), a private company with interests in the mining and energy sectors.

The key milestones ahead for the project include: combining the delivery and assembly of the core roasting and gas handling process equipment; site and utility readiness; staffing build-up and training, and commissioning material feed test-work, the company said.

The OAR continues its emphasis on strong environmental credentials combined with an increasing focus on the provenance of supply sources.  In addition, the OAR’s design capability to treat gold in feed concentrates is expected to prove a significant differentiator, it said.  

The company had recently ordered furnaces for the project.

Oman-registered SPMP is investing around $65.5 million in establishing the 20,000 tonnes per annum capacity antimony and associated products plant at Sohar, billed as the world’s first major antimony roaster outside of China in several decades, added a report.

While half of this output is envisaged for conversion into value added antimony trioxide products, the integration of a gold recovery plant in the roaster will also facilitate the production of an estimated 50,000 ounces of gold per annum — a valuable by-product that significantly enhances the project’s overall value proposition, it added.

The Oman Antimony Roaster is scheduled for commissioning in the fourth quarter of 2017, added the report.