Red 5 Ltd (ASX:RED) has achieved a significant milestone with first gold poured at the 2.4 million-ounce King of the Hills (KOTH) Gold Project in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia.
The company’s first smelt delivered two gold doré bars weighing 1,588 ounces from the gold pour completed yesterday at KOTH.
In the coming weeks, the KOTH processing team will continue to focus on increasing the mill production rate and completing outstanding punch list items with the EPC contractor.
Looking ahead, the team is well placed to increase the KOTH processing plant to full capacity, with over 800,000 tonnes, or about two months of feedstock now on the ROM pad.
“Huge milestone”
Red 5 managing director Mark Williams said the first gold pour marked a huge milestone for the company and its shareholders.
“We can all be proud of this achievement. It marks the beginning of a new era for Red 5, with the new 4.7 million tonnes per annum King of the Hills processing plant set to become a highly efficient production hub.
“There are promising signs regarding future throughput potential and with two months of feedstocks ready for processing and mining now well established, we have a strong platform to build upon.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has assisted us in getting to first gold within the scheduled timeframe, amid the backdrop of a very challenging environment.”
KOTH general manager, Neal Valk [centre] congratulates processing manager Chris Witt [right] with mining manager Andrew McRae [left] holding Red 5’s first gold bar poured at King of the Hills on June 5, 2022.
New operating regime
This marks the start of a new operating regime for Red 5 at King of the Hills
Red 5 has recently commissioned gravity and elution circuits for the project
The gyratory crushing circuit has been running on a combination of oxide and fresh material for more than 40 days and has achieved throughput rates above 1,600 tonnes per hour.
The grinding circuit and wet plant continue to ramp up, with the SAG mill now achieving throughput rates in excess of 600 tonnes per hour at moderate mill load and power draw.
About KOTH
Red 5’s 100%-owned King of the Hills Gold Mine is 80 kilometres south of the company’s Darlot Gold Mine and 28 kilometres north of the town of Leonora in the Eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia.
Mining at King of the Hills is undertaken through a combination of bulk underground stoping and airleg mining of selective high-grade gold veins with ore trucked from King of the Hills to Red 5’s nearby Darlot Processing Plant.