Doropo gold project, Burkina Faso

4th June 2021 By: Sheila Barradas - Creamer Media Research Coordinator & Senior Deputy Editor

Doropo gold project, Burkina Faso

Name of the Project
Doropo gold project.

Location
Côte d'Ivoire, between the Comoè National Park and the international border with Burkina Faso.

Project Owner/s
Centamin.

Project Description
Doropo comprises seven exploration permits, covering 2 300 km2.

A preliminary economic assessment (PEA) has shown the project to have good development potential, demonstrating a 13-year life-of-mine (LoM) and production of 208 000 oz/y over the first five years of production.

The project has measured and indicated resources of 2.34-million tonnes grading 2.13 g/t gold, and inferred resources of 142.9-million tonnes grading 1.13 g/t gold.

The PEA envisages contractor openpit mining to access multiple pits, with oxide ore recovered by conventional free milling, carbon-in-leach processing and an additional sulphide floatation and ultrafine grind concentrate for the sulphide ore. 

A processing rate of 4.9-million tonnes a year is expected for the free milling material, decreasing to 4.4-million tonnes a year for the fresh material.  Based on metallurgical testwork, overall recoveries are forecast to average 90% in the free milling material and fresh ores over the LoM.

Two-million ounces of ore are forecast to be recovered over the LoM. 

Power is expected to be generated through a 27 MW liquefied natural gas power station, which will be built and operated by an independent power producer. A lined tailings storage facility has been proposed and designed to ANCOLD specification, with a cyanide destruction circuit for tailings management.

Potential Job Creation
None stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has an estimated after-tax net present value, at a 5% discount rate, of $234-million and an internal rate of return of 21% at a $1 450/oz gold price.

Capital Expenditure
Initial development costs are estimated at $275-million, including a 15% of contingency.

Planned Start/End Date
Not stated.

Latest Developments
Centamin has approved $14-million in capital expenditure over the next 12 months to progress the project to a prefeasibility study (PFS). This includes a 70 000 m infill drilling programme, a geotechnical drilling programme, openpit optimisation, further metallurgical testing, environmental and social screening, and scoping assessments.

The company expects to announce the PFS in mid-2022.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Centamin, tel +44 1534 828700 or email info@centamin.com.