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CHIRANO GOLD MINEDevelopment & Mining The current mine plan calls for the exploitation of eleven gold deposits spread along a strike length of approximately nine kilometers by both open pit and underground mining methods. The nameplate capacity of the Chirano mill is 2.1 Mt per annum.The Chirano Plant is currently undergoing an expansion to a nominal throughput capacity of 3.5 mtpa. The operation utilizes selective mining techniques to separate ore and waste and is carried out by a mining contractor. The mining fleet is a combination of 250 tonne hydraulic excavators with 14 cubic metre buckets loading 100 tonne trucks. Drilling and blasting is required for all primary material and the majority of oxide material. The new treatment plant flowsheet is based on tertiary stage crushing, three ball mills, pre-leach thickening, a single stage of leaching and an eight stage CIL circuit. Gold is recovered by an elution circuit with electrowinning of the gold onto stainless steel cathodes. The gold will be removed from the cathodes with high pressure water sprays and smelted to a final bullion product. The plant commissioning is expected to commence during the first quarter of 2009. Akwaaba Deeps Development Akwaaba Deeps will be mined using a Sub-level Caving ("SLC") mining method. The bulk tonnage mining study estimates approximately 8.8 million tonnes will be mined at a grade of 3.7 g/t containing 1.0 million ounces. The capital cost to construct Akwaaba Deeps is estimated to be US $67m inclusive of owners costs and contingency. Life of the mine operating costs to deliver underground ore to Chirano mill have been estimated to be approximately $25 per tonne (inclusive of contingency). The underground development of Akwaaba Deeps is well underway. In order to support the new Akwaaba Deeps underground development, the Company is expanding the Chirano processing facility to a nominal throughput of 3.5 mtpa. In addition to increasing capacity, the expansion also addresses the rock hardness issue identified in 2007. A new crushing facility will reduce ore to 80% passing 12.5mm, optimizing milling efficiencies with the addition of a third mill and the conversion of the SAG mill to a ball mill. |
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