VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – Gold producer B2Gold has extended mineralisation at its Fekola mine 1 km to the north, with the positive drill results continuing to indicate potential for a larger openpit operation, that could justify a relatively low capital cost plant expansion from 5.5-million tonnes a year to about 7-million tonnes a year.

Based on about 10 000 m of diamond drilling completed this year at Fekola North, the mineralisation is about 900 m north of the current resource pit boundary.

Vancouver-based B2Gold said the higher-grade gold mineralisation is hosted in shallow, north-plunging shoots, the same structural setting as higher-grade ore shoots in the Fekola deposit.

B2Gold announced assay results from 14 holes, which averaged 41.9 m of 2.2 g/t gold. New drill results indicate the main higher-grade Fekola ore shoot is thicker and extends closer to surface than previously thought.

Importantly, mineralisation remains open to the north and has been intersected up to 1.8 km north (Hole 233) of the main Fekola deposit.

Meanwhile, B2Gold is focused on infill drilling to upgrade 900 000 oz within the resource pit boundary currently classified as indicated and inferred. Assays from five holes averaged 61 m of 2.3 g/t gold.

Meanwhile, in addition to Fekola, the 2018 Mali exploration budget includes C$7.5-million for further drilling on the Anaconda zones, located 20 km from Fekola.

An initial oxide resource estimate, indicating an inferred 21.59-million tonnes grading 1.11 g/t gold for 767 000 oz, when applying a 0.35 g/t cutoff, was announced in June 2017.

Drilling below this saprolite resource has discovered three mineralised bedrock (sulphide) zones, indicating the potential for Fekola-style mineralisation. Such mineralisation could potentially be processed at Fekola.

B2Gold expects to release further exploration results later this year.

With the planned first full year of production from the Fekola mine this year, consolidated gold output is forecast to be between 910 000 oz and 950 000 oz. This represents an increase in yearly consolidated gold production of about 300 000 oz for B2Gold, compared with 2017.