Modern Mining August 2016

GOLD

within guidance. In addition, we’re intensify- ing our focus on critical operational issues to ensure that we deliver a substantial second-half improvement,” he said. Bristow said in addition to another strong performance by the Loulo-Gounkoto complex, the quarter’s highlight was the advances made by Randgold’s exploration teams. “The quality and scope of our exploration portfolio continue to grow and there is a solid pipeline of projects being developed through our resource triangle, from grassroots and gen- erative work to resource definition. I believe we have at least three advanced targets, already scheduled for drill test campaigns, with real potential to become important assets,” he said. The advanced targets include Fonondara and Kassere on the Boundiali permit in northern Côte d’Ivoire and Sofia in Senegal, which looks likely to provide a high grade, free-leaching satellite resource for the feasibility study-stage Massawa project. In Mali, the greenfield target Bakolobi is cur- rently being drilled while drilling at Loulo’s Gara underground mine has identified sig- nificant potential to extend its life and replace this year’s depletion at Loulo. At neighbouring Gounkoto, the feasibility study on the superpit option will be concluded by the end of this year. In the DRC, Randgold believes that the discov- ery and rapid development of the Kombokolo satellite illustrates the continued prospectivity of the Kibali permit area and augurs well for the Moku joint venture west of Kibali. “While the more advanced work is ongoing, our greenfields team is also feeding the base of the resource triangle with new ground. The Bambadji joint venture with IAMGOLD has recently been renewed, we are applying for new permits in southern and western Mali as well as in southern Côte d’Ivoire, where we are also negotiating a new joint venture,” Bristow said. “The rest of the gold mining industry con- tinues to shy away from exploration and there

Left: Ambarau, the second hydropower station at Kibali, will soon come on line. The first hydropower station, Nzoro, has supplied a steady 20 MW into the Kibali grid for over a year. Below: Panoramic night view of the huge Kibali mining complex in the north-east of the DRC. Kibali produced 122 532 oz in Q2, a 6 % decrease on the prior quarter. According to Randgold, the complexity of dealing with multiple ore types from different sources affected throughput, recovery and grade at Kibali during the quarter.

Randgold

development of Kibali as a complete project remains ahead of schedule. “Looking ahead at the rest of the year, all our teams have been reworking and optimising their mine plans to ensure that we end 2016

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