TSX-listed Montage Gold Corp has achieved the first gold pour at its flagship Koné mine, in Côte d’Ivoire, on budget and ahead of schedule.

Construction began in December 2024 and the first gold pour was achieved on September 26 this year, yielding about 1 140 oz of gold.

More than 400 000 t of ore have been processed since ore was first introduced into the oxide circuit on September 8. The addition and early completion of the oxide circuit enabled gold production significantly ahead of the initial schedule.

The oxide circuit is expected to reach commercial production in the fourth quarter of this year, while construction of the hard-rock comminution circuit remains on budget and on track for completion in the second quarter of 2027.

“We are thrilled to have achieved first production at our Koné mine safely, on budget and ahead of schedule. It marks a significant milestone in the rapid execution of our strategy of creating a premier multi-asset African gold producer.

"Koné is now the ninth operating gold mine in Côte d’Ivoire and poised to deliver strong benefits for all stakeholders, with about 3 600 direct jobs created to date, over 95% of which are nationals, and many more indirectly created. We’d like to thank our employees for their strong dedication along with everyone who has contributed to reaching this important milestone, including our local stakeholders, financiers, suppliers and contractors," comments Montage CEO Martino De Ciccio.

He adds that the company is looking forward to continuing to rapidly grow its business by advancing its development pipeline, with the Didievi project in Côte d’Ivoire poised to become Montage's next development asset.

“We are extremely proud to be delivering the Koné project well ahead of schedule and on budget. Our ability to self-perform construction activities has significantly reduced capital cost requirements and allowed us to optimise the construction timeline.

"Ramp-up of the oxide circuit is progressing well, with ore from the Koné deposit being directly fed into the mill, while we look forward to commencing mining activities at the higher-grade Gbongogo Main satellite deposit late in the fourth quarter and other recently discovered higher-grade satellite deposits over the course of 2027,” says Montage president and chief development officer Peder Olsen.