BURKINA FASO – Toronto’s
Roxgold expects its Yaramoko mine will produce between 145,000 and 155,000 oz. this year at cash costs of US$440 to $470 per oz. and all-in sustaining costs of $765 to $795 per oz. (Monetary amounts are U.S. dollars.)
The company expects to have a strong year with the addition of Yaramoko’s second high grade underground mine, Bagassi South, which is expected to reach commercial production in the second quarter of the year.
Last year production from Yaramoko reached 132,656 oz. of gold, exceeding guidance of 120,000 to 130,000 oz. The company expects cash costs and AISC for 2018 will come in at between $450 and $475 per oz. and $740 and $790 per oz., respectively.
Roxgold’s expanded processing plant is ramping up and recently recorded throughput of 1,231 t/d – 12% above nameplate capacity.
The plant expansion increases capacity by nearly 50% from 270,000 t/y or 750 t/d to 400,000 t/y or 1,100 t/d.
The upgrades included a secondary crushing circuit with a throughput of 100 t/h; the conversion of the SAG mill to a ball mill; expansion of the carbon-in-leach circuit (two extra adsorption tanks and an additional thickener); expansion of the gravity circuit designed to recover 70% of head grade consisting of an additional Acacia leach reactor and two electrowinning cells; and additional raw water storage and power reticulation infrastructure.
The Yaramoko mine is situated in the Houndé greenstone belt region in the province of Balé in southwestern Burkina Faso. The property is about 200 km southwest of the capital city of Ouagadougou.
Yaramoko consists of two gold deposits: the 55 zone, a fully operational underground mine, and Bagassi South, which is ramping up. Roxgold completed the mine build in mid-December, on schedule, and $2.8 million under budget.
Roxgold expects to spend $10 million to $12 million on exploration at Yaramoko this year, and at the end of 2018 had about $60 million in cash and $38 million in long term debt.
This story first appeared on www.NorthernMiner.com.
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