Red River Resources Ltd (ASX:RVR) (FRA:R1R) has ramped up activities at its Hillgrove Gold Mine in New South Wales after restarting production at the site in December 2020.
Red River started processing operations at Hillgrove on December 28, 2020, with more than 7,000 tonnes of ore from the Bakers Creek Stockpile processed to date.
The Hillgrove Plant is successfully moving through its ramp-up phase, and gold recoveries to the flotation gold concentrate and Knelson gravity gold concentrate are in line with expectations.
Commissioning of the gold leach circuit will begin shortly, with leaching expected to start on January 31, 2021.
Strategy to build a multi-asset operating business
Red River Resources managing director Mel Palancian said: “I would like to thank our employees, consultants and contractors who have contributed to this significant achievement.
“The start of gold production at Hillgrove represents a material step in our strategy to build a multi-asset operating business focused on base and precious metals.
“We acquired the Hillgrove Gold Mine for $4 million in August 2019, and since then we have undertaken a methodical process to restart production after the project was put on care and maintenance in 2016.
“I look forward to updating the market as we increase gold production from the Bakers Creek Stockpile in Stage 1, and then move to the full restart of UG production in Stage 2, which will see Red River producing doré, gold concentrate and gold-antimony concentrate.”
Material from the Bakers Creek stockpile
Red River is treating material from the Bakers Creek stockpile in the first stage of the operation.
The company will recover gold to a gravity gold concentrate and a flotation gold concentrate, which will then be leached on-site to produce doré, with gold recovery to doré estimated to be 75-80%.
Gold recovery to gravity gold concentrate and flotation gold concentrate is in line with expectations
The second stage of the operation will see the resumption of underground mining at Hillgrove later this year, with work now underway.