JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Russian gold major Polyus has poured its first doré gold at the Natalka project as part of the hot commissioning process of the 10-million-tonne-a-year mill at the greenfield project in the Magadan region.
The Natalka mill is expected to be fully ramped up by the end of next year, delivering between 420 000 oz/y and 470 000 oz/y of gold, Polyus reported on Monday.
The Natalka mine will increase Polyus’ overall gold output to 2.8-million ounces in 2019.
Based on the current mine plan, Natalka would operate for 31 years. The deposit has ore reserves of 16-million ounces and mineral resources of 34-million ounces.