14th Jul 2009 10:15
Hambledon Mining plc
("the Company")
14 July 2009
Production Update
The Company reports its production for the three months from 1 April 2009 to 30 June 2009.
| April | May | June | Total | ||||||
| Milled tonnes (dry) | 67,825 | 66,430 | 78,017 | 212,272 | |||||
| Gold grade (g/t) | 1.15 | 1.05 | 1.13 | 1.11 | |||||
| Contained gold (gms) | 77,999 | 69,751 | 87,770 | 235,520 | |||||
| Contained gold (oz) | 2,516 | 2,243 | 2,822 | 7,581 | |||||
| Gold recovery % | 80.6 | 82.1 | 80.1 | 80.8 | |||||
| Recovered gold (oz) | 2,027 | 1,841 | 2,260 | 6,128 | |||||
| Recovered silver (oz) | 5,132 | 3,741 | 4,736 | 13,611 |
Our production results for April and May were announced along with our preliminary results in June, but are repeated here as part of our usual quarterly reporting cycle.
The amount of ore treated in the quarter has shown a significant increase over previous quarters, resulting from the large number of modifications that have been made to the crushing circuit. The June total of 78,017 tonnes milled represents some 12% greater throughput than the original design capacity of the plant. After a further small modification is made to the tailings line, expected in August 2009, an even greater throughput should be possible.
The area of the pit currently being mined has a higher waste stripping requirement than is expected to be later in the pit life, making it difficult to mine the quantity of ore that can now be treated in the process plant. Consequently, some low grade ore is being processed, bringing down the average grade. As the pit deepens, and the stripping ratio falls, we expect to be able to provide the additional tonnage at standard mined grades. Various options are also being investigated to increase the mining rate in the short term.
Enquiries:
Hambledon Mining:Telephone +44 (0)20 7233 1462Charles Zorab
Fairfax I.S. PLC:Telephone +44 (0)207 598 5368Nominated Adviser and BrokerEwan Leggat
Copyright Business Wire 2009
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