GO FOR GOLD Mincor Resources pours first gold at its Widgiemooltha gold project in Western Australia
Photo by: Bloomberg
Australian junior Mincor Resources’ wholly owned Widgiemooltha gold project, in Western Australia, has poured first gold.
Mincor holds nickel and gold assets with estimated mineral resources and ore reserves for each commodity, in the Kambalda district of Western Australia, which is a major nickel and gold producing area with a rich mineral endowment and developed mining infrastructure.
The first toll parcel of ore comprised material sourced from the start-up upper benches of the Flinders and Bass pits. Mining operations remain on track to deliver 40 000 t/m of ore. The full toll parcel for this month is already stockpiled and ready for delivery.
“I would like to thank our employees, consultants and contractors who have contributed to the achievement of this significant milestone. The first gold pour underscores their hard work to progress a set of regional gold assets, which had little value assigned to them a few years ago, into an active mining operation which will deliver cash flows in the months ahead,” says Mincor Resources MD Peter Muccilli.
He notes that the gold cash flows will help to accelerate the company’s active ongoing nickel exploration programmes. “The programmes are aimed at fast-tracking the development of Mincor’s high-quality Kambalda nickel portfolio to take advantage of the forecast growth in the nickel market over the next few years.”
The achievement marks an important step forward in Mincor’s strategy to generate cash flows by developing its gold assets. The company has a 12-month processing agreement with exploration, development, processing and mining company Westgold Resources at the nearby Higginsville plant.
Mincor has also undertaken a new phase of regional exploration drilling within its extensive Kambalda nickel portfolio.
In terms of the exploration progress, the company indicates that the multi-pronged exploration campaign, which includes reverse circulation (RC) and air-core drilling, will test a series of highly promising shallow targets at both Republican Hill and the Southern Widgiemooltha Dome.
RC drilling has started initially at Republican Hill. Located on the Bluebush Line, Republican Hill contains several nickeliferous gossan occurrences and historical drilling has intersected hanging wall nickel sulphides and nickeliferous sediments.
The company’s geologists have generated several highly promising target areas that could be indications of nickel bearing channel structures nearby. The data was used from a high-resolution aeromagnetic survey and two soil sampling programmes.
Meanwhile, at the Southern Widgiemooltha Dome, multiple targets will be tested along strike from the high-grade Cassini CS2 Channel, where the company has recently completed a highly successful resource drilling programme.