Modern Mining May 2019

MINING News

Record quarterly gold production from Syama

ASX-listed Resolute Mining produced 95 105 oz of gold at an AISC of US$740/oz in the March 2019 quarter, with 84 552 oz coming from its Syama mine in Mali and the balance from Ravenswood in Australia. In its report on the quarter, the company says that its new underground operation at Syama (Syama Underground) is continuing to ramp up with commercial production targeted for the September 2019 quarter. Syama is located in the south of Mali, approximately 30 km from the Côte d’Ivoire border and 300 km south-east of the capi- tal, Bamako. It is a large-scale operation which comprises Syama Underground and the Tabakoroni open-pit mine which provide ore to two separate processing circuits: a 2,4 Mt/a sulphide processing cir- cuit and a 1,5 Mt/a oxide processing circuit. Syama quarterly production was up more than 50 % on the December 2018 quarter comprising 71 186 oz from Syama Oxide operations and 13 366 oz from Syama Sulphide operations. Following commencement of sublevel caving in December 2018, the ramp-up of Syama Underground continued during the March 2019 quarter subject to a decision to prioritise infrastructure, development, and the automation implementation pro- gramme. Substantial progress was made in the commissioning of the automated fleet with the commencement of autonomous production drilling early in the quarter. The permanent primary ventilation system was installed and commissioned which has resulted in reduced re-entry times following blasts, while underground pumping systems, and a number of other key items of underground infrastructure, were substantially completed. The focus

Syama’s Automation Control Room is now complete (photo: Resolute).

Syama Underground mine. The permanent primary ventilation system and critical pumping infrastructure were completed during the quarter. We also commenced autonomous production drilling as part of the ongoing automation programme. “Our Syama team remains focused on the optimisation and commissioning of the most advanced underground mining automation system in the world at the Syama Underground mine. Underground ore production will continue to ramp up over the coming quarters with commercial production targeted for the September 2019 quarter. “Syama is becoming the robust, high production, low cost gold complex we have envisaged. Syama will be a power- house of gold production for Resolute for many years to come and the commis- sioning work undertaken at the Syama Underground mine during the quarter provides an important foundation for future success.” 

on development has resulted in a more modest increase in underground ore pro- duction than previously planned. Construction of the Syama Automation Control Room is now complete and com- missioning of the automation control systems is well advanced. As implemen- tation of the automated fleet progresses, operation of underground mobile equip- ment will be increasingly undertaken from the Control Room. “The quarterly production and costs from Syama is very pleasing and repre- sents a site production record of 84 552 ounces,” comments Resolute’s MD and CEO, John Welborn. “The performance of Tabakoroni was exceptional with high- grade ore and strong recoveries enabling us to also achieve record quarterly pro- duction of 71 186 ounces from the Syama oxide circuit. This strong performance supported our decision to prioritise infrastructure, development and the auto- mation implementation programme at our

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