Projects

Trinity Metals has three mining projects operated as subsidiaries in Rwanda – Rutongo Mines, Nyakabingo Mine, and Musha Mines. They include three primary mining sites and a few satellite sites located in close proximity to the primary sites.

All of our mining sites operate to international mining regulations and uphold strict environmental standards. We do not use toxic or environmentally damaging chemical processes in our mines, nor do the mines produce any such material.

 

All of our production is certified “conflict-free” – our mines are fully compliant with conflict minerals audit requirements under OECD guidelines.

Rutongo Mines sit 26km north of Kigali, comprising six underground tin mines – Gisanze, Masoro, Nyamyumba, Gasambya, Karambo and Mahaza. Together, they contain one of the biggest cassiterite deposits in Africa.

The Rutongo mines operate under a 25-year license that began in 2015. They are estimated to contain approximately 54,000 tonnes of recoverable tin and currently produce between 40 to 70 tonnes per month, projected to increase to 200 tonnes per month in the next five years.

Tin exploitation at Rutongo began in 1931, and from the 1940s, the mines consistently exported 800 tonnes a year of cassiterite. By the 1950s, SOMUKI, a Belgian mining company, had developed the mine into the largest tin concentrate producer in Rwanda. In 1973, the fusion of former colonial mining sites gave rise to SOMIRWA (Société Des Mines Du Rwanda), a joint venture between the Government of Rwanda and GEOMINES. This Belgium-based mining company operated on site until its liquidation in 1986. At this time, the mines were nationalised and operated under REDEMI (Regie d’Exploitation et de Developpement des Mines). 

 

The mines closed in 1994 when the genocide against the Tutsi occured. In 1995 they reopened under REDEMI as a miners’ co-operative and operated as such until 2008, when the government re-privatized them.

Nyakabingo tungsten ore mine sits 19km (by road) to the northwest of Kigali in the Northern Province, near the village of Shyorongi. The mine produces more than 50 tonnes per month under a 25-year license that began in 2015.

Exploration of the mine’s alluvial deposits began in the late 1930s, but it was only after WWII that systematic open cast mining began. Underground mining started in the late 1960s with adits, followed by drives along quartz veins situated in bedding planes (known as concordant parallel veins or PV). These deposits are mined by dip raises and stoped by room and pillar mining, whilst the more vertical, discordant veins (known as cross veins (CV)) are mined by open stoping. 

Musha-Ntunga mine (also known as Musha Mines) is located in Rwanda’s prolific tin region – Rwamagana District – 45 km from Kigali in the Eastern Province. Although the operation consists of a number of sub-mines, more than 95% of the production comes from Musha mines.

The mines produce around 20 tonnes per month of tin, as well as small amounts of Coltan from the Duha and Ntunga sub-sites, under a 25-year license that began in 2014 under Piran Rwanda Limited. 

 

The mine also contains high-grade Lithium primarily on Ntunga’s pegmatite deposits. The potential is currently being explored to understand its scale and evaluate extraction options.

LITHIUM EXPLORATION

The Ntunga pegmatite offers robust development opportunities for Trinity Metals. 

In 2018, exploration efforts within the Trinity Ntunga licence successfully defined an initial 9Mt Sn-Ta (Tin-Tantalum) resource hosted in a large LCT pegmatite system. In addition, the team discovered consistent high grades of 1.5% Li₂O (Lithium Oxide) dominantly within spodumene mineralisation in several holes with intersections over 80m true width and open to depth. 

 

The team’s further analysis of drill core has revealed a second potential host of significant volumes of lithium mineralisation of up to 1% Li₂O. 

 

As a result of this exciting discovery, the group performed an additional study and test work, which prompted the next phase of modelling and metallurgical testing. 

 

The potential exists to define a globally significant Li-Sn-Ta resource in a secure and rapidly developing country. Trinity is focused on advancing this deposit and anticipates an updated resource statement in the near term. We are confident that we will soon move into a full feasibility phase.