Ron Hochstein speaking at the opening of the Fruta del Norte mine.
The newly inaugurated Fruta del Norte gold mine has produced its first doré bar from the gravity circuit, TSX-listed Lundin Gold reported on Monday, noting that gold concentrate production, as part of the commissioning activities, was also well advanced.
The company stated that commissioning of the carbon-in-leach circuit was ongoing and nearing completion.
Based on the current projections, the first export of concentrate and doré was anticipated by mid-December.
“We will continue to focus on completing commissioning and ramping up production on the path to commercial production in the second quarter of 2020,” commented CEO Ron Hochstein.
The Fruta del Norte mine was officially declared open last week in a ceremony attended by Ecuadorian government authorities, representatives of the Canadian embassy, major shareholders, project finance lenders and community representatives.
Fruta del Norte will be Ecuador’s biggest gold mine, producing an average of 310 000 oz/y at a projected all-in sustaining cost of $583/oz.