JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Russian gold miner Highland Gold reported steady fourth-quarter output of 68 722 oz of gold and gold equivalent and said full-year output was 4% higher at 272 274 oz.
Production at the Mnogovershinnoye (MNV) mine, in the Khabarovsk region, fell to 24 377 oz in the fourth quarter, from 26 433 oz in the corresponding quarter of 2016, but total output for the year at 102 502 oz was higher than that of 2016.
Fourth-quarter processing volumes at MNV declined by 19.1% year-on-year, owing to a damaged feed trunnion, which reduced operations on one line of the mill. Highland said that a replacement unit was scheduled for delivery in the March quarter.
Production at the Belaya Gora mine, in the same region, was stable in the fourth quarter at 10 852 oz, but full-year output was 6% below that of the previous year at 43 166 oz.
In the Zabaikalsky region, the Novoshironkinskoye mine produced 33 493 oz in the fourth quarter, compared with 31 505 oz in the same period a year earlier. Full-year production rose from 117 577 oz in 2016 to 126 606 oz in 2017.
Highlands provided a gold and gold equivalent guidance of 260 000 oz to 275 000 oz in 2018.