PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Dual listed gold miner Perseus Mining has reported record quarterly gold production for the three months to September, with 137 460 oz of gold produced, up from the 122 327 oz in the June quarter.

Gold production at the Edikan operation, in Ghana increased from 28 668 oz to 52 127 oz during the quarter under review, with production costs and all-in sustaining costs dropping by 43% on the June quarter.

Production at Edikan during the June quarter was impacted by the availability of the project's processing facility being reduced by 21% during the quarter while the 19-day preventative maintenance shut-down was undertaken. It also resulted from a combination of inadequate management of previous maintenance activities on the carbon-in-leach tanks that impacted gold recovery rates, and poor block model to mill reconciliation recorded while mining in the AG Pit cutback area was completed.

At Yaouré and Sissingué, in Côte d’Ivoire, Perseus produced 71 469 oz and 13 864 oz of gold respectively during the quarter, with Yaouré production down slightly from the 81 150 oz achieved in the June quarter, and Sissingué production up from the 12 509 oz produced in the same quarter.

Perseus told shareholders that the lower gold production at Yaouré compared to the previous quarter was driven by a combination of slightly lower run time, throughput rate and head grade of ore relative to the record performance achieved in the prior quarter.

Several factors were involved in this result including scheduled maintenance shuts, seasonal wet weather and truck availability temporarily reducing access to high grade oxide ore deposits.

The increase in quarterly gold production at Sissingué was primarily driven by an 11% increase in the quantity of ore processed as well as improved recoveries at the processing plant. Despite unseasonably wet weather experienced during the quarter, total material movements improved compared to past quarters, Perseus told shareholders.

Following the strong production results for the September quarter, Perseus has maintained its group guidance for the half-year and full-year to December at between 240 000 oz and 265 000 oz for the interim period, and between 492 850 oz and 517 850 oz for the full year, at an all-in sustaining cost of between $1 000/oz and $1 100/oz in the interim period, and between $980/oz and $1 025/oz in the full year.