PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Gruyere gold project, in Western Australia, remains on schedule to produce its first gold in the June quarter of next year.
Joint venture (JV) partners Gold Road Resources and Gold Fields on Monday revealed that the overall project engineering was about 96% complete at the end of the September quarter, while project construction was 71% complete.
The first stage run-of-mine pad civil works have also been completed, with assembly started on the primary crusher.
Meanwhile, the mining fleet and operations team mobilisation was in progress, and mining operations were expected to start in November.
“Construction of the Gruyere gold project, and preparations for the commencement of operations are progressing well,” said Gold Fields executive VP for Australia Stuart Mathews.
“Our own workforce, together with our contractor-partners, are motivated to achieve the first gold production target next year, while maintaining continued focus on safety and quality.”
The Gruyere plant will have the capacity to handle 7.5-million tonnes a year of fresh ore, and up to 8.8-million tonnes a year of oxide ore over a mine life of 13 years.
The project costs increased to A$621-million in July, up from the previous budget of A$532-million, following scope changes and force majeure costs, as well as a A$30-million contingency.