PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Norseman gold joint venture (JV) project between ASX-listed Pantoro and fellow-listed Tulla Resources, has poured its first gold.
“This is a momentous occasion for one of Australia's iconic gold mines - the resumption of production at Norseman with the first pour from the JV with Pantoro,” said Tulla executive chairperson Kevin Maloney.
“This is a tribute to the focus and commitment of Tulla Resources and our JV partner, Pantoro, who have also managed the process with great dedication and acumen and deserve the company's appreciation for their sterling efforts. We are excited for all involved and especially our loyal shareholders.”
Dore from the gravity circuit of approximately 8 kg was poured on October 13. Production from the leaching circuit is also underway.
Mining operations at the Scotia Mining Centre openpits and the OK Underground mine are progressing well with approximately 160 000 t of ore stocks on the run-of-mine and available for processing.
“We are very pleased to confirm our first gold production at Norseman which represents the culmination of approximately three years of hard work. Norseman has been taken from a dormant site with no ore reserves or usable processing facility to full operational status,” said Pantoro MD Paul Cmrlec.
“There have been some unexpected delays resulting from minor but frustrating equipment start up and control programming issues during commissioning, however, we are confident that all of those issues have now been resolved and the plant is operating well. We thank all of our staff and contractors for their dedication to achieving this outcome during the past three years, along with our JV partner, Tulla Resources.”