JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Kounrad dump leach solvent extraction and electrowinning copper recovery plant in Kazakhstan has produced 3 842 t in the third quarter, Aim-listed Central Asia Metals Limited (CAML) reported on Tuesday.
The third-quarter production is lower than the 4 102 t produced a year earlier, but places the company on track to achieve the upper-end of its 2017 production guidance of 13 000 t to 14 000 t.
Copper production for the first nine months of the year totalled 10 665 t.
CAML sold 3 795 t of copper cathode in the September quarter, predominantly through its offtake partner, Traxys.
The company also reported that it had begun irrigating the Western Dumps and that it had recovered 2 179 t of copper cathode in the third quarter. Cumulatively, 3 480 t of copper had been recovered from the Western Dumps, representing 46% of the total second and third quarter production, since the area had been under leach.
Meanwhile, CAML executive chairperson Nick Clarke said the company looked forward to integrating the operations of the Sasa mine, in Macedonia, in the fourth quarter.
CAML is buying the zinc/lead mine through the acquisition of Lynx Resources for $402.5-million.