Hermes, located just southwest of sister mine Plutonic, saw first blast October 12 at the Tapper pit; since that time, it and two other feeding pits Klinger and Hawkeye have seen expansion work and pre-stripping to where stockpiling of initial mineralisation at the site can now be realised.

First processing from Hermes is projects by the end of the year, and commercial production is targeted for the first quarter of 2018. Once fully active, the operation will transport mined material via truck to Plutonic for processing.

Superior president and CEO Chris Bradbrook said the kick-off is another important milestone for the company’s evolution.

“We continue to progress development work at Hermes, our second operation, on schedule,” he said. “The contribution of the ore from Hermes is anticipated to allow us to reach our objective of increasing annual production to 100,000 ounces of gold.”

An overview of Hermes’ activities and its recently completed communications tower, both recorded with a drone, can be viewed here.