Resolute Mining Limited (ASX:RSG) has poured 103,201 ounces of gold during the September quarter putting it on track to deliver on the objective of becoming a low-cost, multi-mine, African-focused gold producer.
Production was 25,069 ounces higher than the previous quarter and managing director and CEO John Welborn said delivering quarterly gold production in excess of 100,000 ounces was the new normal for the company.
Ramp-up milestone
Resolute achieved a major project ramp-up milestone at the Syama project in Mali with the completion of automation system site acceptance testing.
The Syama sulphide circuit achieved daily recoveries of over 85% during periods of the quarter with maximum daily recovery being 92%.
These periods of high recovery, mainly due to an improvement in sulphide flotation recoveries, provide strong confidence in the company’s Project 85 target to achieve consistent recoveries above 85%.
Production from Syama was 45,804 ounces comprising 33,074 ounces from the oxide circuit and 12,730 ounces from the sulphide circuit.
Mako performs strongly
There was a strong performance from the newly acquired Mako project in Senegal with processed tonnages, grades and recoveries ahead of budget as 44,191 ounces were produced.
Welborn said, “Achieving major commissioning milestones at our new underground mine at Syama is encouraging as the team ramp up production to full capacity.
“Project 85 remains a critical focus at Syama and while the unscheduled maintenance and repairs conducted during the quarter limited sulphide circuit quarterly production, we remain confident and committed to achieving our processing objectives.
“A highlight of the quarter was to successfully complete the highly value-accretive acquisition of the Mako Gold Mine, a fabulous addition to our portfolio.”
The Ravenswood Gold Mine in Queensland delivered a consistent production result of 13,206 ounces.
With production for the first three quarters totalling 279,438 ounces, Resolute is on track to achieve guidance to December 31, 2019, of 400,000 ounces of production at an AISC of US$960/ounce.
Automated system commissioning
A key focus during the September quarter was commissioning of the Syama automated mining system and the successful completion of site acceptance testing.
During the quarter, automated loaders successfully collected ore from the bottom of ore passes on the 1055 level and loaded automated trucks via a split-level loading facility.
Additionally, automated trucks travelled up the underground decline under laser guidance before transitioning to satellite GPS guidance upon exiting the portal and continuing to dump the ore on the run-of-mine pad.
The traffic management system both on surface and in the Syama Underground Mine was also successfully tested.
Collectively, these achievements marked a major milestone for Resolute as the company commissions the world’s most advanced automation mining system at the operations.
Strengthening recoveries
An increasing portion of mill feed sourced from the underground mine corresponded with strengthening recoveries from the sulphide circuit during the quarter and overall, sulphide circuit recoveries averaged approximately 79%.
The company continues to fine-tune elements of Project 85, with a focus on improvement of control methodologies in the floatation circuit.
Work is also underway to automate the addition of grinding media to the calcine regrind mill and to improve management of reagent addition to the calcine and float tails leach circuits.
Overall output from Syama sulphide circuit for the September quarter was curtailed due to a decision to undertake previously unplanned maintenance to the sulphide crusher apron feeder and complete minor repairs to the roaster refractory lining.
As a result, the sulphide circuit was completely offline for 18 days during the quarter.
All sulphide circuit maintenance and repair work was completed during the quarter and the crusher, mills and roaster are now back in service.
The sulphide circuit is expected to operate normally during the current quarter with a focus on continuing improvements in recovery and consistent operational performance.
At Mako, plant throughput is running at an annual rate of around 2.2 million tonnes, from an original design capacity of 1.8 million, while maintaining excellent recoveries of around 94%.
Ravenswood expansion
In Queensland, Resolute began the first stage of the Ravenswood Expansion Project during the quarter with the recommissioning of a third mill to increase annual processing capacity to 5 million tonnes.
This will allow an expansion of gold production from the processing of low-grade ore stocks.
With underground operations at Mt Wright expected to be finalised in the current quarter, Resolute continues to progress a strategic review of Ravenswood with a view to delivering approximately 200,000 ounces of gold production annually from 2022.