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    Rosh Pinah Zinc paste backfill plant: design and dilution control notes for engineers

    February 6, 2026|

    Reviewed by Joe Ashwell

    Rosh Pinah Zinc paste backfill plant: design and dilution control notes for engineers

    First reported on MINING.com

    30 Second Briefing

    Rosh Pinah Zinc has commissioned Namibia’s first paste backfill plant at the Rosh Pinah zinc-lead-silver mine, enabling cemented paste backfilling of underground stopes to cut dilution, reduce surface tailings and improve ore recovery while being run by a locally trained operations team. The RP2.0 expansion, now over 85% complete and targeting Q3 2026 completion, includes a new portal and decline, new paste fill and processing facilities, a SAG mill and water treatment plants. In parallel, RPZ is executing more than 80 km of diamond drilling to 2027, covering infill, step-out and regional targets to extend mine life.

    Technical Brief

    • Paste backfill plant is Namibia’s first, setting a new national reference design for underground backfilling.
    • Commissioning was announced 6 February 2026 by Rosh Pinah Zinc and owner Appian Capital Advisory.
    • RP2.0 construction progress has surpassed 85%, with mechanical completion targeted for Q3 2026.
    • Ramp‑up of the expanded operation is scheduled immediately after Q3 2026 completion, implying tight commissioning windows.
    • New portal and decline are being developed specifically to access extended deposits on strike and down‑dip.
    • Surface works include a new SAG mill and water treatment plants integrated with the paste fill facility.
    • Diamond drilling programme totals >80 km through 2027, combining infill, step‑out and regional targets.

    Our Take

    Within our 924 Mining stories, Namibia appears far less frequently than other African jurisdictions, so Rosh Pinah Zinc’s RP2.0 expansion stands out as one of the few large-scale zinc-lead-silver underground modernisation plays in the region.

    Paste backfill at the Rosh Pinah zinc-lead silver mine should allow tighter stope sequencing and higher extraction ratios, which is particularly relevant given the plan for more than 80 km of drilling through 2027 to convert and extend underground resources.

    With overall RP2.0 construction already beyond 85% and completion targeted for Q3 2026, Appian Capital Advisory’s involvement positions this as a near- to medium-term zinc supply response in our database, at a time when many other zinc projects are still at earlier study or permitting stages.

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    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

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