PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Big River Gold is accelerating key civil works at its Borborema gold project, in Brazil, and is investigating plant design options to better facilitate future expansions, while also allowing for the restart of exploration.
A 2020 definitive feasibility study (DFS) estimated that the project would produce some 729 000 oz of gold over a mine life of just over ten years, producing an average of 71 000 oz/y, and around 88 000 oz/y over the first four years of the mine life.
The DFS has estimated that Borborema will require a capital investment of $88-million, plus an $11-million contingency, with C1 cash costs estimated at $642/oz, and all-in sustaining costs at $839/oz over the mine life.
The company on Wednesday said that the mine plan outlined in the DFS started with a two-million-tonne-a-year processing plant design, which could be expanded to four-million tonnes a year, subject to ongoing economic and technical studies, and the availability of sufficient process water.
The option review being undertaken is aimed at ensuring the current DFS plant design is best suited for any anticipated expansion without incurring excessive capital costs or disruptions to production which could be prevented by improved planning and provisions.
The initial option review is only expected to take a few weeks; however, Big River noted that additional time may be required to bring any revisions up to the necessary level of accuracy during the first quarter of 2021.
Meanwhile, construction of the water dyke and catchment will be fast-tracked to take advantage of any rainfall that could occur before the mine is commissioned, with Big River also actively looking to secure additional process water supplies from several sources.