Modern Mining June 2016

WEST AFRICA

Wassa will produce between 120 000 and 135 000 ounces of gold this year, with between 20 000 and 25 000 ounces of this total coming from underground. Turning to Prestea, this is located south-west of Wassa near the town of Prestea. Probably the most famous mine in Ghana after Obuasi, it started production in the late 19th century and has reputedly produced 9 million ounces of gold over its life. It consists of an established underground mine and adjacent surface depos- its. It was acquired by GSR in 2002 but placed

metallurgical recovery in fresh ore is currently 93 % and future recovery from the combined Wassa open-pit and underground operations is expected to be the same. Work started in earnest on Wassa Under­ ground after completion of the FS and in May this year GSR reported that the declines had advanced 1,9 km, with the average rate of advance achieved being 8,6 m per day dur- ing the first quarter of 2016 (which was more than 20 % higher than the development rate in Q4 2015). GSR is currently predicting that

feature The open pit at Wassa. Ore from the underground mine will soon start to supplement the open-pit production.

GSR personnel at Prestea. The mine’s infrastructure – operated over 100 years – includes vertical and inclined shafts, horizontal development, raises and stopes developed along the 9 km of strike length of the gold mineralisation.

32  MODERN MINING  June 2016