JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Kiziltepe precious metals mine in Turkey is gearing up for commercial production to start soon, as the ramp-up of the mine continues to meet, or exceed, the expectations of joint venture partners Ariana and Proccea Construction.
In an operational update published on Friday, 50%-owner Ariana reported that the processing plant was operating to design specifications, with mill availability having increased to more than 97% in June.
The company also said that process recoveries of gold and silver were trending higher than feasibility-study expectations and that leach times remained faster than predicted.
To date, the refinery has sold about 1 930 oz of gold at price ranging from $1 225/oz to $1 295/oz, and 14 520 oz of silver, at a price ranging from $16.20/oz to $18.20/oz.
The mine would pour a further 354 oz of gold and 3 125 oz of silver on Friday, which would take the month’s gold and silver production to 621 oz and 9 064 oz, respectively.
The Kiziltepe operation is currently expected to deliver about 20 000 oz gold equivalent a year over eight years of initial mine life, for a total of up to 160 000 oz gold equivalent based on current resources.
Once the mine transitions to commercial production, Ariana would start issuing quarterly operational updates.