There are so many questions to be answered before you can even begin to consider mining with a mini mill.
Are you suggesting open pit? ......or shaft?
In either case, the mill is the cheapest part. The support equipment you need is immense and expensive. The permitting and safety aspects are incredibly costly as well. There is an enormous amount of soils investigation and geo-technical data needed, not to mention the EIS process you need to go through. We'd be diluted to nothing just to get through the early stages of this. The work needed from Mining engineers to work out the logistics is an undertaking in and of itself. If we started tomorrow, it would be two years before the first rock hit the mill and that is if we had limitless money to spend. Ever buy a D8 Cat. They start at 780k with a ripper. A decent rock truck is a half million and you'd need a few of these. A 988 loader is 600k. A decent sized shovel is around 450k for a good used one. Then you'd need primary crushers to get the rock to a workable size etc etc. That is if you can open pit. Shaft mining is a lot more expensive.
Successfull exploration companies explore by using the vast majority of their funds for geology and drilling. Successfull mining companies make money by buying good claims from successfull exploration companies. You can't dance at more than one wedding.
Cut costs......focus on drilling in the best possible areas. Look for a JV partner. Stop diluting with shares and options to people who don't put cash in the till. Then cut costs some more.
pc
