JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – TSX- and Aim-listed Aureus Mining has increased the gold recovery levels and production performance of its New Liberty gold mine, in Liberia.
The West African gold producer on Thursday said that the ongoing process plant optimisation activities initiated at New Liberty in mid-January had resulted in overall plant recovery nearing design levels.
“The improvements in gold recovery and production at New Liberty are encouraging and are a direct result of ongoing optimisation procedures as we progress towards achieving commercial production by the end of March,” said president and CEO David Reading in an update to shareholders.
The operation had delivered 11 001 oz of gold since January, with a cumulative 7 323 oz of gold recovered during gold pours over the past 22 days.
Gold production achieved during the 2015 calendar year totalled 17 172 oz.
The company further pointed out that gold recovery levels had steadily increased from 73% in mid-January to an average recovery of 85% in February, before surpassing recovery rates of 87% in the past week.
“Continued optimisation of the gravity circuit has shown incremental improvements and there have been further operational improvements in carbon-in-leach kinetics. Additionally, ongoing preventative maintenance activities have allowed plant availability to improve and have resulted in more stable operating conditions,” the group said.
Aureus aimed to declare full commercial production once the entire process plant was operating at full design capacity and was consistent with management expectations.