PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Gold miner Millennium Minerals has revealed that the expansion of its Nullagine gold project, to process the sulphide mineral resource, will require a capital investment of A$15-million.
The company has completed a key component of the sulphide resource expansion feasibility study for the Nullagine project, in Western Australia, which is considering the installation of a gravity sulphide scavenging circuit on the carbon-in-leach tails stream, along with an ultrafine grind and intense cyanidation.
“The ability to process our extensive sulphide mineral resource inventory will help ensure we can achieve a targeted production level of around 100 000 oz/y from December quarter 2018,” said Millennium CEO Peter Cash.
“Resource-to-reserve conversion later this year is expected to provide an uplift in our reserve base, with our ongoing commitment to exploration expected to deliver further mine life increases to support a plus-five-year mine life.”
Cash said that considering the results of the feasibility study so far, the company will start procurement activities for long-lead items for the plant expansion, with the target of commissioning the upgrade in March next year.
Meanwhile, Millennium will also undertake a re-optimisation of the resource and reserve inventory at Nullagine over the coming months, which the company expected to cement its expansion plans.