PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Thalanga mill, in Queensland, has ramped up to a processing rate of 325 000 t/y, exceeding the project’s 300 000 t/y nameplate capacity, ASX-listed Red River Resources reported on Wednesday.
The ramp-up of the Thalanga zinc project has been completed ahead of schedule and about A$1-million under budget, with 13 500 t of low- to medium-grade ore processed since production started in September.
Red River said that high-grade ore from the West 45 deposit was being blended into the mill feed, and first concentrate deliveries were expected to start in the coming weeks as concentrate stocks increased.
First cash flow was expected to follow shortly after.
The project, which has been on care and maintenance since 2012, is expected to produce an average 21 400 t/y of zinc, 3 600 t/y of copper, 5 000 t/y of lead, 2 000 oz/y of gold and 370 000 oz/y of silver in concentrate over an initial five-year mine life.