PureGold’s output soars achieving new daily mining record
Something’s in the water at PureGold. Following the recent upgrades to its SAG mill in August, the company has seen an impressive increase in its mining output and now boasts breaking its own records as production continues to grow. PureGold proudly announced a new daily ore processing record of 1,037 tonnes alongside 2,050 tonnes of ore brought to the surface from its underground mine, setting another new target to beat.
Last month, the company completed the successful installation of six CIP interstage screens and a trommel screen at its high-grade gold mine at Red Lake, Ontario, Canada. Since then, PureGold hasn’t looked back. The installations have resulted in an additional 30% ore being processed compared to the current design capacity of 800t/d.
Production increases and operational successes awards miner a “gold” badge
And its August successes keep coming. The company achieved an impressive monthly daily ore throughput of 703t/d and hit an average daily ore throughput of 870t/d for the last week of August. On average, PureGold mined a stope grade of 6.5 g/t Au and processed a total mill feed grade of 5.6 g/t Au. The company succeeded in pouring 5,535 ounces of gold, a new monthly record, and completed the commissioning of its water treatment plant.
“The PureGold Mine made significant strides in August toward our goal of consistently producing 1,000t/d of high-grade ore by the end of the year,” says Darin Labrenz, President & CEO at PureGold. “By completing the installation of interstage screens on the CIP tanks and a trommel screen on the SAG mill, we have increased the processing capacity of the operation by at least 25% compared to the original design capacity of 800t/d. The mine, now with two independent haulage ways at full-scale production, has also demonstrated its ability to produce well beyond 800t/d.
“Given these significant improvements, we are targeting a step-up to 1,000t/d in Q4 2021 and expect to average 850-950t/d over the full fourth quarter.”
PureGold, bolstered by its continued success, is eager to set the bar even higher for the future of its operations. The Canadian miner has its sights set on stabilising its mill capacity at 1,000t/d and aims to achieve quarter-over-quarter increases in head grade and ore throughput in 2021, a direct result of enhancing its ore inventory and stop availability.
PureGold targets higher ambitions following continued operational success
Additionally, PureGold is targeting more definition drilling and is keen to continue making progress on its permit amendments with the aim of increasing its annual ore production limits from 292,000 tonnes (800t/d) to 360,000 (1,000t/d).
“We expect our total operating costs to remain relatively stable even as we step-up production to 1,000t/d, which will drive unit costs downward over time,” continues Labrenz. “We also expect head grades will continue increasing steadily as we get deeper into the orebody over the coming quarters.
“Taken together, these factors are expected to drive an increase in gold production and a decrease in unit costs quarter-over-quarter through the end of this year and into 2022. These summer months have been a turning point operationally for the PureGold Mine and we look forward to delivering on the promise of high grades, strong margins, and world-class exploration potential this year and in years to come.”
