Event recap – Webinar: The Metallurgist’s role under JORC

Digital Tech Talk overview

The webinar is firstly aimed at metallurgists who act as a named CP (competent person for the purposes of the JORC guidelines), or in an advisory role to a CP, in company announcements covered by JORC.  Secondly, it is aimed at anyone acting as a CP that is not a metallurgist, but is taking advice from one. Thirdly, it is aimed at company directors, especially those whose resource projects have a material dependence on metallurgy for their revenue stream.

Metallurgical factors fall under the classification of modifying factors in the JORC code. Modifying factors are used to convert resources into reserves as they are the basis for demonstrating economic viability. Recovery is a typical modifying factor as it reduces the payable metal that is present in the mined ore. Product Grade is another modifying factor and it has the potential to render a product unsaleable. Penalty elements in concentrates are also possible modifying factors, and in extreme cases problem elements can lead to rejection of the product from export or sale.

Metallurgical factors can be derived by assumption in Scoping Studies, limited testwork in PFS and definitive testing in FS. In all cases the metallurgist needs to understand the provenance of the numbers being used, and where sampling is involved rather than assumption, the representative nature of the samples tested. All metallurgical modifying factors must also be integrated into revenue calculations, and this should be done in a matter assessed and approved by the metallurgist.

JORC’s foundation principals of Materiality, Transparency and Competence will allow participants to know when they require metallurgical oversight and what to look for in the provider of that advice. Metallurgists will be better equipped to decide if they qualify as a CP (or expert advisor) for a given project and, if they accept, what is expected of them.

Presenter

Dean David

After Graduation in 1981 with a degree in Metallurgy from The South Australian Institute of Technology (now University of South Australia) Dean worked with CRA (now Rio Tinto) for 14 years in operations (NBHC Broken Hill and Argyle Diamonds) and on projects (Wimmera Industrial Minerals). For eight years Dean was a consultant with JKTech and for four of those years was manager of JKTech Consulting. Dean Joined Minproc in 2003 as Manager Process and, after a number of company name changes continues to work with the same team as Technical Director – Process for Wood in Perth. Dean is a member of the JORC and MetSoc committees.