Emerging gold miner Brightstar Resources has shared details about the cost estimates for the refurbishment of its namesake processing plant, near Laverton, in Western Australia.
The company, which received an independent cost estimate from Como Engineers, said on Tuesday that it would cost A$5.5-million to refurbish and upgrade the mill to a production capacity of about 650 000 t/y – almost twice as large as originally envisaged.
The mill is located within 60 km of Brightstar’s three major deposits – Alpha, Beta and Cork Tree Well, which boast a combined resource of 445 000 oz of gold. The mill is also close to a number of third-party, advanced gold projects, which may lend itself to toll-treat opportunities.
The Como report estimates the cost of refurbishment of the mill, including all modifications and upgrades, to be about A$3.6-million. In addition, it estimates A$1.9-million of owner’s cost.
The refurbishment, upgrade and commissioning should take about three months, and another three months to produce a new head for the ball mill. Core components of the mill are, overall, in decent condition.