11th Sep 2014 10:43
LONDON (Alliance News) - Aureus Mining Inc Thursday said construction is on track for the New Liberty gold project in Liberia to deliver its first gold in the first quarter of 2015, with plans for the site to be fully commissioned and operating on a steady nameplate capacity by the end of June 2015.
The group said the construction of the crushing circuits, ball mill, carbon in leach and thickener circuits, and the gold room is on schedule, and said the first batch of power generators have arrived at the site, the first commercial gold mine in the West African country.
Top-soil removal, pre-strip mining and reverse-circulation grade control drilling processes have now started, Aureus said.
It said the project is now 62% complete, with the first gold pour due to happen in the first quarter of 2015 and full commissioning and the start of steady-state operations by June 30, 2015.
Aureus also said it was making efforts to mitigate the potential impact of the outbreak of Ebola in the region on its operations. It said the construction schedule at New Liberty offers "an element of flexibility", which has allowed the company to reschedule some work streams in order to offset any potential delays that could arise should the Ebola situation persist or worsen.
"The New Liberty Gold Project continues to make good progress in its pursuit to become the first commercial gold mine in Liberia. Key elements of the plant construction are advancing, pre-stripping is underway, and with the project now 62% complete, the mine build remains on schedule to achieve steady state production by 30 June 2015," said David Reading, president and chief executive.
Aureus shares were up 0.7% to 22.90 pence on Thursday.
By Sam Unsted; [email protected]; @SamUAtAlliance
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