PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Junior gold producer Blackham Resources on Monday said that it had missed production targets during the three months to June owing to lower grades at its Matilda/Wiluna operation, in Western Australia.
Gold production for the quarter ended June reached 15 709 oz, which was higher than the 14 920 oz produced during the previous quarter. However, the miner noted that despite significant improvements in crusher and mill performance during the quarter, the lower grade profile resulted in lower-than-forecast production.
Mill feed head grade during the quarter was hampered by the fact that 25% of the feed was sourced from low-grade stockpiles. However, Blackham said that investment in waste stripping was expected to allow access to higher-grade ores starting in the September quarter.
As a result, gold production in the September quarter is expected to increase due to both higher tonnes processed and higher-grade profiles from the openpit operations.