Liontown Resources has announced that it has begun underground preparations at its Mt Mann pit, and that underground services contractor Byrnecut has mobilised to the site.
As the Kathleen Valley operation continues to grow, Liontown and its contractors have been working towards setting up the temporary underground mining services area (MSA) and the Mt Mann pit area for underground development.
Construction of the temporary underground MSA began in early October and will be the heart of the underground operation, hosting the team’s offices, workshops and stores, the batch plant and the underground fuel farm, until the construction of the permanent underground MSA is completed.
Liontown said that the Mt Mann pit has been formally handed over from the open pit team to the underground team, and that work is well underway for the commencement of underground development.
Critical infrastructure, including power generators, substations, water tanks, compressors, and communication infrastructure have been established around the top of the pit and work is underway to install connections down into the pit.
With the arrival of the underground equipment, Liontown has said that it is closer to commencing underground mining. Byrnecut are at work on the pit floor, building pads that will be used to install the required ground support around the portals prior to the first development cuts being taken.
The first blasts to create the underground portals are scheduled for mid-November 2023.
