Red 5 Ltd (ASX:RED) has started open-pit grade control drilling at its King of the Hills (KOTH) gold asset near Leonora in Western Australia.
The gold explorer and project developer kicked things off with an initial 70,000-metre drill program, which is targeting the gold play’s southern pit.
This flagship program will play out over the next five months and lead into the start of open-pit mining at KOTH which is scheduled for January next year.
The gold project is one of Australia’s most well-endowed, boasting a 2.4-million-ounce reserve and a 16-year mine life.
Surface drilling underway
Jarahfire Drilling Pty Ltd, a WA-based surface drilling specialist, has been appointed to undertake the open pit program.
This campaign began on a bench that formed part of the pit’s original southern cut-back developed by former owner Sons of Gwalia. The bench extends around 15 metres down below the current surface.
As part of the program’s first stage, Red 5 has designed a 7-metre by 7-metre spaced drilling program, designed to cover the first 30 to 45 vertical metres.
More broadly, open-pit grade control activities will be conducted in phases — the initial program and start of open-pit mining will help de-risk and prepare the initial ore blocks for future activity.
Red 5 to present at Proactive Gold Webinar
The announcement comes as Red 5 ‘s chief corporate development officer Patrick Duffy prepares to speak at Proactive's Gold Webinar later today.
Duffy will speak to construction progress at the KOTH site, where the gold processing plant is beginning to take shape ahead of commissioning early next year.
Work at the gold play remains within budget and on track to hit the next big milestone mid-next year: the first gold pour at KOTH.
Proactive’s Gold Webinar will kick off at 12:00 pm AEDT, or 9:00 am for those on the west coast.
Readers can sign up to view the online event here.