Modern Mining November 2016

GOLD

CIL project could transform Ity into a flagship operation

resource conversion; increasing the mill size from 2,0 Mt/a to 3,0 Mt/a, which lifts annual production while maintaining a 14-year mine life; and optimisation of the Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) and associated earthworks. In addition, mine sequencing, processing sched- uling, and river diversions/hydrogeology have been optimised, as has the mining equipment fleet (which will have a moving capacity in excess of 17 Mt/a). The improved economics are also a result of a simplified and optimised process plant design, by Endeavour Project Services along with Lycopodium, to follow the same path as the Houndé project in Burkina Faso, and the Agbaou and Nzema mines (in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana respectively), in addition to removing the refractory processing route, which will be investigated further. A total of eight indicated mineral resource prospect areas are included in the FS. These are six in-situ gold deposits (Daapleu, Mont Ity, Ity Flat, Zia NE, Walter and Gbeitouo) in addition to the Teckraie stockpile and the Aires decom- missioned leach pad. The selected strategy is to mine and process Daapleu and Ity Flat higher grade ore early, while stockpiling low grade ore for treatment when open-pit mining operations are com- plete. As such, the mining period is nine years followed by the processing of stockpiled low- grade ore for another five years. This strategy was established through pit optimisation work which indicated that paral- lel processing of the Daapleu sulphide ores with free milling oxide ores gave the best return. Mill feed requirements will be supplemented successively with oxide material fromMont Ity, Gbeitouo, Walter and Zia NE and existing ore stockpiled from current heap leach operations. The mine planning, resource and cost estimation for the FS is based on an owner operated mining operation using 90-tonne haul trucks. Mining is scheduled to commence three months before the start of the processing plant to pre-strip the pits and stockpile ore. The life of mine strip ratio is put at 2 to 1 with the pits reaching depths of up to 205 m. As regards the processing route, the con- ventional gravity circuit/CIL plant is designed

TSX-listed Endeavour Mining, which owns and operates five mines in West Africa fromwhich it expects a total gold pro- duction of between 575 and 610 koz in 2016, reports that a “robust” Feasibility Study (FS) on a CIL project at its Ity mine in Cote d’Ivoire has been completed. It says the FS has confirmed that Ity, currently a heap leach operation, has the potential to become a long-life, low-cost flagship asset.

A ccording to the FS, prepared and compiled by Lycopodium Minerals with the support of six globally recognised engineer- ing firms, the Ity CIL project is expected to deliver average production of 114 000 ounces per year over a 14-year mine life at an AISC of US$603/oz, based on current reserves. The project will comprise multiple open-pit mines and existing decommissioned heap leach stockpiles, and will include the construction of a new gravity circuit/CIL plant. The initial capital cost is estimated at US$307 million with a 20-month construction period. The Feasibility Study production profile and economics have significantly improved com- pared to the September 2015 Pre-Feasibility Study. Factors that have contributed to this are a 31 % increase in reserves due to the inclusion of additional deposits and further

Open pit at Ity. The mine has produced more than 1,2 Moz of gold in its more than 20 years of operations (photo: Endeavour Mining).

28  MODERN MINING  November 2016