Gold star for Scotland: first gold to be produced at Scottish mine

A Scottish mine looks set to produce its first gold this week, following the launch of an ore processing trial.

Scotgold Resources, the Australian gold firm, is currently crushing 2,400 tonnes of ore which has been stockpiled at Cononish, central Scotland.

The company is targeting a “first pour” production of between 400-600 ounces of gold during the initial six-month trial. Scotgold is hopeful of selling gold at a premium price due to the rarity of the commodity.

The firm believe the trial represents something of a “significant milestone” as it seeks to encourage potential investors to back large scale production at the site.

Scotgold chief executive Richard Gray said: "It is extremely satisfying to be able to celebrate this significant milestone with some of our longstanding stakeholders.

"The achievement of gold production provides tangible evidence of our progress and we appreciate the support of all our stakeholders in getting to this point."

Launched almost a decade ago, the Cononish project has faced a difficult journey due to financial issues, falling commodity prices and planning permissions conflicts.

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