PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Despite a fatality at the Barbrook mine, in South Africa, which resulted in a week’s loss of production, gold miner Vantage Goldfields on Friday reported higher September quarter production.
Gold production during the quarter reached 8 466 oz, which was well above the 6 913 oz achieved in the June quarter. The June quarter results were impacted by operational setbacks resulting from the underground flooding of the Lilly mine in May.
Vantage told shareholders on Friday that the increase in production during the September quarter was largely owing to improved grades at both its operating mines, which offset the reduced tonnage milled at Barbrook.
The expansion of the Barbrook mine remained on hold, pending the results of a re-evaluation of the entire operational strategy of the mine, Vantage said, and this would likely be completed by December.
The new plan would be based on the optimisation of gold recoveries, and could possibly include appropriate pre-concentration methodologies currently being investigated.
Meanwhile, Vantage noted that production from the Lily mine was on target during the quarter, with the mine delivering 6 925 oz, and this trend was expected to continue until the end of the year, ensuring a stable operating platform from which to start the ramp-up to full production in 2015.