PERTH (miningweekly.com) - Copper miner Sandfire Resources reported on Thursday that its DeGrussa copper project, in Western Australia, produced some 16 392 t of copper and 14 695 oz of gold during the quarter ended December.
The DeGrussa operation produced its first copper concentrate in October last year, with its maiden shipment loaded in late November.
Plant commissioning and ramp-up continued to progress during the quarter under review, with ore throughput and production on track to achieve nameplate levels of 125 000 t/m by mid-2013.
Sandfire said on Thursday that concentrate quality was also approaching planned specifications, and copper recoveries were improving in accordance with the ramp-up schedule.
Based on the current ramp-up schedule, Sandfire expected copper production for the full 2013 financial year to be between 67 000 t and 71 000 t of copper, and some 49 000 oz of gold.
Project-to-date production guidance to June this year was between 71 000 t and 75 000 t of copper, and 52 000 oz of gold.
Meanwhile, Sandfire also reported that gold and copper sales increased significantly during the three months to December, reflecting the part depletion of metal inventories from the end of the September quarter. Copper sales reached 22 454 t during the quarter, while gold sales totalled 13 284 oz.
Metal sales for the first half of the year reached 34 001 t of copper and 17 626 oz of gold.