PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Gold miner Resolute Mining has set a production target of between 350 000 oz and 375 000 oz for the 12 months to December, which is below the 395 136 oz achieved in the 2020 calendar year.
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) for the 2021 calendar year are expected to reach between $1 200/oz and $1 275/oz, compared with the $1 074/oz achieved in 2020.
Resolute on Friday reported gold production of 89 888 oz for the three months to December, with its Syama sulphide operation producing 35 747 oz, the oxide operation contributing 10 754 oz, and the Mako mine delivering 43 387 oz.
The miner told shareholders that operations at the Syama gold mine, in Mali, were impacted by mining equipment availability and process plant material handling issues during the December quarter, while the team also managed the impact of 15 days of industrial disruption during the quarter, while maintaining production through both the sulphide and oxide processing plants by using available ore and redeploying staff as required.
Looking at the 2021 production profile, Resolute expected sulphide production from Syama to increase by more than 25% to between 155 000 oz and 170 000 oz, with a resulting decrease in AISC for the operation, while a planned 36-day shutdown of the sulphide processing circuit is also on the cards during September and October this year.
The oxide production at Syama is expected to reach between 80 000 oz and 85 000 oz in the full year.
The Mako mine is further expected to deliver between 115 000 oz and 120 000 oz in 2021, with production for the year expected to be lower than that achieved in 2020, while unit costs will be higher, as a cut-back of the main pit is undertaken, which will provide access to deeper sections of the deposit and increase the mine life.
Resolute is forecasting a non-sustaining capital expenditure of some $29-million in 2021, inclusive of the Mako cutback of $13-million and an exploration programme of $6-million.
Sustaining capital expenditure included in the AISC is expected at $49-million.