Ore processing from the El Nino mine at South Arturo, which Barrick Gold and Newmont Goldcorp’s Nevada Gold Mines owns in 60:40 partnership with Premier Gold, has started ahead of schedule.
The companies previously said that they would bring forward ore processing to the current quarter.
Canada-based Premier reported on Friday that the first gold bar pour had been held earlier in the week and that production from the mine would ramp up in the second half of the year.
The company said that it expected to meet the high end of its attributable gold production guidance for the year and that the high-grade ore at El Nino would have a positive effect on cash flow for the company.
In the second half of 2019, surface and underground drilling would resume in an effort to continue delineating and expanding mineralisation at El Nino.
El Nino is a high-grade underground deposit situated down plunge of the Phase 2 pit, where mining was concluded in 2017.
Pre-stripping of the Phase 1 openpit project, a second mine being constructed at South Arturo, is ongoing with a target of production in the second half of next year.
Premier reported that work was continuing to optimise heap leach material with a potential future decision to proceed with the development of a heap leach facility on the property.