UNDERGROUND

Chaarat Gold boosts production by 12%

Chaarat Gold achieved a 12% increase in production over the December 2019 quarter at its Kapan mine in Armenia despite suffering some operational impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chart reported an improvement in throughput and grades

Chart reported an improvement in throughput and grades

Chaarat reported production of 12,992oz of gold equivalent in the March quarter of 2020, compared to 11,402oz in the Decemer quarter, with the All-in-Sustaining Cost (AISC) falling to US$1,074/oz from US$1,242/oz.

There was an improvement in throughput and grades to 178,144t at a feed grade of 2.86g/t, from 176,922t at a feed grade of 2.61g/t in the last quarter of 2019. Gold recovery in the higher payable Cu concentrate circuit improved by 2.1%.

At its Tulkubash mine in Kyrgyzstan, design on the heap leach facility and adsorption-desorption recovery facilities are now almost complete, with work on the crushing circuit and final equipment selection still ongoing.

Work streams at Tulkubash were impacted by current travel and movement constraints in the Kyrgyz Republic. At Kapan the arrival of two new loaders and two new haul trucks was also delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

However, the planned installation in the second quarter of two new cyclone clusters to improve grind optimisation and associated recovery at Kapan is going ahead as planned, and a technical team is assisting with the development of their 2020 mine plan.

"We are pleased to report continued operational improvement across a number of points at the Kapan mine, that resulted in higher production and lower AISC versus the previous quarter," said chief executive Artem Volynets.

"At Tulkubash the current workings are being completed in accordance with schedule and budget. The restrictions on people and equipment mobilisation led to a delay in first gold pour as previously announced but will enable Chaarat to optimise the feasibility and engineering further and allow for additional work on exploration."

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Magazine Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Magazine Intelligence team.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Future Fleets Report 2024

The report paints a picture of the equipment landscape and includes detailed profiles of mines that are employing these fleets

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Digitalisation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations that use digitalisation technology to drive improvements across all areas of mining production

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Automation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations using autonomous solutions in every region and sector, including analysis of the factors driving investment decisions

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Exploration Report 2023 (feat. Opaxe data)

A comprehensive review of current exploration rates, trending exploration technologies, a ranking of top drill intercepts and a catalog of 2022 Initial Resource Estimates and recent discovery successes.