JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – LSE- and TSX-listed Centamin’s Sukari mine, in Egypt, produced 124 641 oz of gold in the second quarter of the year, an 11% decrease on the 140 306 oz produced in the second quarter of 2016.
Production was, however, 14% higher than the 109 187 oz produced in the first quarter of this year.
The company has maintained its full-year production guidance at 540 000 oz of gold.
"Mining activity in the openpit during the first part of 2017 has focused on the cutback of the east wall, with correspondingly low ore grades.
"This continued into the second quarter; however, during the latter part of the quarter higher grade was accessed from the openpit, as scheduled. Mining of higher grades from the openpit is expected to continue for the balance of 2017,” CEO Andrew Pardey said in a statement on Monday.
Openpit total material movement, which includes ore plus waste, increased by 2% quarter-on-quarter to 17.49-million tonnes.
Openpit ore production increased by 23.5% to 3.06-million tonnes, at an average mined grade of 0.76 g/t.
The run-of-mine ore stockpile balance increased by 152 000 t to 538 000 t at the end of the period.
The underground operation delivered 293 000 t of ore at an average mined grade of 8.8 g/t. Ore from stoping was 174 000 t at 11 g/t and ore from development was 119 000 t at 5.6 g/t.
Centamin will publish its financial results for the six months to June 30 on August 3.