PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Gold miner Evolution Mining has declared commercial production at its Mt Carlton operation, in Queensland, following a successful commissioning period.
The mine was officially opened in April this year, while production from the silver-rich A39 deposit started in March this year. Production switched to the gold-rich V2 deposit in July, and first shipment of this concentrate was expected to depart Townsville port early in August.
“The declaration of commercial production at Mt Carlton, ahead of schedule, is very gratifying and has been achieved as a result of the dedication and commitment of our team,” said Evolution executive chairperson Jake Klein.
The Mt Carlton plant would process some 800 000 t/y of ore and would run for an estimated 12 years. The project currently hosts a measured, indicated and inferred resource of some 1.35-million ounces of gold and 15.1-million ounces of silver in the V2 deposit, while the A39 deposit is estimated to host some 15.49-million ounces of silver and 3 100 t of copper.
The V2 project has a reserve of 0.81-million ounces of gold and 6.4-million ounces of silver, while the A39 deposit has a mineral resource of 8.8-million ounces of silver and 2 500 t of copper.