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Pan Global Resources is evaluating ore sorting and access to nearby processing plants as possible ways to develop its La Romana copper-tin deposit in southern Spain. The company has not shown the project is economically viable, and exploration permits for the Escacena South ground it sees as key to growth were still pending in October.
Pan Global Resources is considering how ore sorting and nearby mining plants could help develop its La Romana copper-tin deposit in Andalusia, while it waits for permits to drill ground it says could expand the project. The Vancouver-based explorer has not established that La Romana is economically viable, and it gave no timetable for its next study.
La Romana is part of Pan Global’s Escacena project, about 35 km northwest of Seville in the Iberian Pyrite Belt. The deposit has a measured and indicated resource of 32.4 million tonnes. Pan Global is aiming to build a resource base of more than 100 million tonnes across Escacena, a company target rather than an established resource total.
President and CEO Tim Moody told The Northern Miner that the company sees more value in an “optionality study” than in moving directly to a preliminary economic assessment. The work would examine potential development choices, including ore sorting. Sorting could separate mineralized rock from waste before processing, reducing the volume transported if the material is sent to another operator.
Escacena adjoins Grupo México’s Los Frailes development and is near Atalaya Mining’s Riotinto operation. Moody said trucking or conveying La Romana material to another operator made more sense at the deposit’s current size than building a standalone processing plant. Whether a nearby operator would process Pan Global’s ore, and on what terms, has not been confirmed.
Nearby Plants Could Shape Development
The proposal matters because a smaller deposit may be able to avoid the expense of building its own processing facility if a workable arrangement with an established nearby operation can be made. Ore sorting could potentially lower the amount of material moved and processed, but the company must establish whether the method works on La Romana ore and whether any savings would change project economics.
La Romana also contains tin and silver alongside copper. The company estimates tin accounts for 15% to 20% of the deposit’s metal value. Moody argued that copper grade alone does not capture the deposit’s potential, citing its near-surface mineralization, geometry and concentrate characteristics. Those features are company arguments, not proof of commercial returns.
Any development path remains subject to more technical work, permitting and potential cooperation with neighboring operators. The concept is relevant to readers tracking mining investment in Spain because it links exploration growth to existing regional infrastructure, rather than assuming a new mine would be built with a standalone plant.
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Resource Estimates and Regional Geology
Pan Global’s resource estimate, effective last December, puts La Romana’s measured and indicated material at 32.4 million tonnes grading 0.37% copper, 0.027% tin and 1.7 grams of silver per tonne. It contains an estimated 119,500 tonnes of copper, 8,800 tonnes of tin and 1.7 million ounces of silver. The estimate also includes 4 million inferred tonnes; that lower-confidence material grades 0.4% copper, 0.0071% tin and 1.4 grams of silver per tonne.
Company-reported copper tests recorded 88% recovery and concentrate grades up to 32.5%; Moody said average grades were closer to 29%, compared with roughly 20% regionally. These test results do not establish the costs or economics of a commercial operation. The Iberian Pyrite Belt also hosts established mines and deposits, including Riotinto in Spain and Neves-Corvo in Portugal, but regional geology does not guarantee success at a specific prospect.
Pan Global is also drilling at Cañada Honda, where the company reports 5 million inferred tonnes grading 0.65 gram of gold and 0.14% copper. Its larger exploration ambition lies at Escacena South, awarded through a public tender last year. The targets there remain untested, and the company’s comparison with established operations is a geological prospect, not a confirmed discovery.
“We actually think there is more value in doing what we’re calling an optionality study, rather than a preliminary economic assessment.”
— Tim Moody, Pan Global president and CEO, speaking to The Northern Miner
copper tin silver mineral processing plant
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Economics and Permits Remain Open
Pan Global has not demonstrated economic viability for La Romana. No results from the proposed ore-sorting assessment, development costs, processing agreement, or project timetable were provided. Moody said the resource confidence could allow the company to move directly to a prefeasibility study, but gave no schedule for that step.
In October, the company was still waiting for exploration permits for Escacena South, where it had budgeted to drill this year. Moody hoped crews could reach the ground before year-end and said drilling might begin within a couple of months after permits were granted; those were expectations, not confirmed dates. The scale and quality of any discovery there are unknown, since the targets have not been tested.
Pan Global also reported that Cañada Honda drilling was underway, while the source material does not provide a complete update on its results or schedule. The company’s broader exploration and funding plans may change as permitting, drilling and technical work progress.
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Permits and Technical Work Ahead
The next immediate milestone for Escacena South is receipt of exploration permits. Pan Global said it had budgeted for drilling and hoped to mobilize crews once approvals arrive. The company received a €250,000 Spanish exploration grant for drilling, geophysics and related work; Moody said the amount could theoretically cover five deep holes.
At La Romana, the company says it will test ore sorting and assess how much value it may add before selecting its next study. Results would help clarify whether a route using nearby processing infrastructure merits further evaluation. No study completion date or decision on a prefeasibility study has been announced.
Pan Global reported more than C$10 million in cash, according to Moody, and said Alpayana invested C$7.2 million in June, bringing its stake to 19.6% at closing. The company has also discussed potential investment with European resource funds, but no additional investment was confirmed in the report. Permitting progress, technical results and any confirmed processing or funding arrangements will determine how the project advances.
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Key Questions
What is Pan Global proposing at La Romana?
The company is considering an optionality study that would examine development choices, including ore sorting and the possible use of nearby processing plants. It has not announced a completed study or development decision.
How large is La Romana’s reported resource?
The measured and indicated resource is 32.4 million tonnes. The estimate also includes 4 million inferred tonnes, which represent a lower confidence category. Pan Global’s goal of more than 100 million tonnes across Escacena is a target, not a current resource estimate.
Why does Pan Global want to use nearby facilities?
La Romana is near Grupo México’s Los Frailes development and Atalaya Mining’s Riotinto operation. Moody said transport to another operator made more sense at the deposit’s current size than building a standalone plant. No processing agreement has been confirmed.
What is holding up drilling at Escacena South?
Exploration permits were still pending in October. Pan Global had budgeted for drilling and hoped to mobilize after permits were granted, but no approval date or confirmed start date was reported.
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