Anglo Asian Mining Plc (LSE:AAZ, OTC:AGXKF) has begun operating two new large filter presses and a new thickener at its Gedabek flotation plant in Azerbaijan, clearing a processing bottleneck and helping the company deliver its highest monthly copper output on record.
The equipment, sourced from Yon Proses & Filtrasyon Teknoloji in Türkiye for $500,000, replaces older filter presses that were struggling to cope with higher-grade ore from the Gilar mine, which started production in May.
The new kit is now fully operational and is expected to support higher copper production as more Gilar ore feeds into the system.
Further improvements are planned for early next year. Anglo Asian has already taken delivery of an additional line of Imhoflot pneumatic flotation cells, technology designed to boost metal recovery by improving how minerals separate from waste rock during processing.
A $1.6 million installation contract with Proses Mühendislik has been signed, and groundwork at the plant, including electrical and foundation work, is underway.
The company currently holds a stockpile of just over 53,000 tonnes of Gilar ore, containing 1.8 grammes of gold per tonne and 3.58% copper. This will be fed into the expanded plant once the new flotation cells are online.
The recent upgrades enabled Anglo Asian to produce 688 tonnes of copper in November across its flotation and SART (sulphidisation, acidification, recycling and thickening) operations, the best monthly figure the site has achieved.
Stephen Westhead, the company’s vice president, said: “Since we brought the new Gilar mine into production in May 2025, there has been a bottleneck at the filter presses due to the ore grades being higher than the forecast average.
"These upgrades to our flotation plant enable us to efficiently process this ore variability … and as a result has enabled us to deliver our highest ever monthly copper production.
“These are exciting times for Anglo Asian, and we look forward to continuing to execute our growth strategy at pace.”