JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Precious metals producer Pan African Resources has started production at its Barberton tailings retreatment project (BTRP), with the first gold poured on Friday.
The project, based at the Aim- and JSE-listed company’s Barberton mines, is expected to ramp up to full capacity of 100 000 t/m of gold tailings at an average recovered grade of 0.52 g/t and an average cash cost of $800/oz, by the second quarter of 2014.
Pan African said the retreatment operation, which had a current life-of-mine of six years, would boost Barberton mine’s gold output by 20%, to 115 000 oz/y, after adding 20 000 oz/y of gold output to its portfolio.
The R305-million BTRP would source 12 000 t/m of current tailings through a pipeline from the nearby Fairview mine’s concentrator and BIOX plant and about 88 000 t/m from the adjacent Bramber tailings storage facility.