Avocet says Burkina Faso mine to produce 100 000 oz in 2010
miningweekly.com
By: Loni Prinsloo
12th April 2010
Updated 7 hours ago
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) - Aim-listed Avocet Mining said on Monday that it aimed to reach a steady rate of production of over 10 000 oz/m of gold at its Inata project, in Burkina Faso, by next month.
Inata has produced nearly 20 000 oz since its first gold pour on December 20, and reached a peak in production at 8 500 oz of gold for the month of March.
Avocet CEO Jonathan Henry said that the mine's March production was better than expected despite the planned shutdown, and that gold production during the ramp-up period had been well ahead of schedule.
The mine had to shut down for ten days in March to implement minor plant modifications identified during commissioning.
Avocet anticipated that the mine would produce over 100 000 oz of gold in 2010, which would double the company's total gold production in the year to over 200 000 oz.
The company had previously reported that Inata had a resource of 1,7-million ounces and reserves of 944 000 oz of gold. The official inauguration of Inata, Burkina Faso's fifth gold mine in the last four years, took place on April 8, 2010.
Meanwhile, Henry said that the company's exploration programme in Burkina Faso had also started, with a focus on Avocet's near-mine properties in the Belahouro district. "The realisation of the potential of this district will play a major part in reaching our longer-term objective of significantly increasing gold production," he concluded. |
