PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Australian gold producer Catalpa Resources has reported that its Cracow gold joint venture with Newcrest, in Queensland, in which it acquired a 30% stake during the six months to December 31, 2009, set new stoping and processing records during December.
In its interim report, the company said that a new monthly stoping record of 36 043 t, and a new monthly mill processing record of 41 858 t was achieved during December.
Gold production at the mine, where Catalpa had also acquired preemptive rights over Newcrest’s 70% holding, was 53 082 oz for the period, compared with the corresponding period in 2008 of 41 727 oz. About 2 930 oz of this interim production accrued to Catalpa, to realise revenue of A$3,6-million.
Meanwhile, Catalpa reported that mining at its Edna May gold project, in Western Australia, started in October, and the project was on schedule to produce its first gold in May this year.
Construction of the Edna May gold processing plant and the associated infrastructure is well advanced with the installation of the crusher, ball and semiautogenous grinding (SAG) mills completed.
The plant refurbishment was 95% completed, Catalpa said in a statement. The coarse ore stockpile, tunnel and conveyors are also well advanced and all major concrete and steel works are completed.
The tailings storage facility construction remained on schedule for commissioning in April 2010.
During December, Catalpa reported an updated mineral resource and ore reserve delivering a further 16% boost to gold reserves, and a 13% increase in the mineral resource at the Edna May gold project.
The total mineral resources after mining depletion are estimated at 1,66-million ounces of gold, which represents an increase of 170 000 oz of gold to the previous estimate.
The total ore reserves after mining depletion are estimated at 954 000 oz of gold which represents an increase to the previous estimate of 134 000 oz of gold, driven by additional drilling upgrading inferred mineral resources within the Edna May deposit and revised gold pricing assumptions.
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