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On-Track to Commence First Gold Production in August 2015 at Pickstone-Peerless Gold Mine
Vast, the AIM listed resource and development company, has announced that strong progress is being made in advancing the Pickstone-Peerless Gold Mine in Zimbabwe into production in August 2015.
The mine is being commissioned, with an estimated annualised gold production of circa 10,000oz Au expected from the targeted initial mining rate of 10,000 tonnes of ore per month from the open cast oxide gold cap.
Overview
– First two blasts, one at the Pickstone open cast pit and one at the Peerless open cast pit, have been completed
– Run-of-mine ore stockpile is being built at the feed-pad to the crusher ready for the wet commissioning of the crusher circuit:
– The circuit, consisting of a primary crusher, two secondary crushers and a cone crusher, is complete – commissioning expected to take place imminently
– Completion of the crushing circuit will release additional construction personnel to be allocated to the milling circuit and the carbon-in-leach/carbon-in-pulp tanks
– Electrowinning (the recovery of metals from their ores that have been put into solution by means of electrical methods) and gold production facility is complete
– Ancillary facilities such as the laboratory, accommodation and mine offices are complete
– First gold production scheduled for August 2015
– First round of grade control drilling has been completed confirming the initial grades expected of approximately 3.0 grams per tonne
Roy Pitchford, Chief Executive Officer, commented:
“With the commencement of blasting, the processing plant construction well advanced and production on track to commence in August 2015, this is a very exciting period of development. In addition to realising commercial production in Zimbabwe, we continue to advance our polymetallic interests in Romania and we look forward to updating shareholders on our activity in both Zimbabwe and Romania in due course.”
