Galantas Gold Corporation (LON:GAL CVE:GAL) has completed initial portal works ahead of the development of its underground gold mine in Omagh.
The portal will give access to underground ore in the western side wall at the base of the now-closed open pit.
Next steps will be to excavate around a crown pillar retained in the base of the open pit, though further blasting has been halted while it arranges a schedule with the Northern Ireland police force.
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Galantas said this is likely to take a month.
The portal works involved drilling and blasting of the initial opening, the installation of grouted cable bolts and meshing and bolting of the adjacent rock faces.
Galantas has said previously that it is looking to open a small underground mine initially from a resource that in 2014 comprised 2.1mln tonnes of ore in 16 separate narrow veins.
That amounts to around 500,000oz in total with around 180,000ox in the higher confidence measured/indicated categories.