Force Commodities (ASX: 4CE) has achieved an important milestone in the development of the Tshimpala Project in Malawi with the appointment Shire Construction Limited as the company’s Civils Contractor.
Shire will undertake completion of civil engineering and construction works for site offices and camp establishment, infrastructure up- grades and improvements to access bridges and roads, exploration trenching work and drill pad preparations, at the high-grade lead and silver Tshimpala Project.
The agreement was executed with the Malawi specialist by Force’s Operations Manager, Mark Green and Shire’s Managing Director Peter Malfense, at their Lilongwe Office and Depot.
Under the terms of the agreement, the civil engineering and construction services will now commence and will be provided in a number of consecutive phases and comprise:
Phase One Civil Works to include upgrades, improvements and repair of the road access to the project site to enable the heavy machinery to gain immediate access.
Phase One will also include preparation of the drill pads for the initial 2,500m reverse circulation 150-hole drill program and completion of minor roadworks to allow access to the drill pads and to interlink all pads with one route for ease of access for the drill rig.
Work will also include major exploration trenching work and pre-stripping with a long reach excavator on both the Small Canyon and Grand Canyon Project areas to expose the high-grade lead and silver mineralisation along an approx. initial 850m for large scale sampling and subsequent development works.
Phase Two Civil Works will include the office and project site development at the Tshimpala Project. It will include full site establishment including the civil works and fencing, construction and installation of offices and associated buildings, boreholes for water and water tanks, pumps, generator, with local housing, workshop and clinic, mess hall and diesel storage for the heavy machinery and plant and equipment.
In addition, and in parallel with the project site setup, a new road survey from the main road through to the Tshimpala Project site, and detailed proposal is to be undertaken and cost benefit analyses of the new road costing verses upgrading of the existing roadway is to be finalised.