Alara Resources, an Australian-based minerals exploration and development company, has moved closer to the construction of site infrastructure at the Al Hadeetha copper-gold project in Oman, said a report.

Construction of a 1 million tonnes per annum copper concentrator and other site infrastructure is planned to commence during the first quarter of 2017, added the Oman Daily Observer report.

Alara, owns 70 per cent of the project, has also identified project financing options in excess of the forecast capex, having already invested $9 million with its joint venture partner, it said.

Financing is subject to the issuance of the mining licence and Alara is not aware of any reason why the licence could not be issued in order to meet first production, scheduled for 2018, the report said.

Recent infill drill results are currently being incorporated into a revised resource model, with an update expected this week, added the report.