Africa-focused gold producer Endeavour Mining has confirmed plans to expand its Sabodala-Massawa project in Senegal.

Endeavour will augment the current 4.2Mtpa CIL plant with a 1.2Mtpa BIOX plant to process more refractory ore from its Massawa deposits, as was proposed in its Definitive-Feasibility Study (DFS).

The expansion will yield incremental production of 1.35Moz at a low AISC of US$576/oz over the life of the BIOX Expansion Project.

This places Sabodala-Massawa at top tier status with an expected average annual production of 373koz per year over the next 5 years at an average AISC of US$745/oz.

The expansion includes the addition of a separate high-density polyethylene fully lined tailings storage facility into the initial scope which will host the neutralised product and the BIOX CIL tailings while the existing tailings storage facility ("TSF 1") will host the flotation tailings

It also includes an 18MW expansion of the existing HFO power plant, adding three 6MW HFO generators and two back up diesel generators, with the option to add-in solar to the infrastructure in the future

Sébastien de Montessus, President and CEO of Endeavour Mining, said: "We are extremely pleased with both the current performance of Sabodala-Massawa and the Definitive Feasibility Study results announced today, as they demonstrate the asset's potential to be a top tier mine capable of producing in excess of 400,000 ounces per year at an industry-leading AISC.

We believe we are well-positioned to unlock the full value of the Sabodala-Massawa complex as we have significantly de-risked the project by integrating key changes into the DFS, based on experience gained from operating the asset and the results of further technical analysis, and we have highly experienced operating and construction teams already in place."

The company added that "strong upside potential exists" as the DFS does not include the conversion of the previously announced discovery of 709koz of M&I resources, which is expected to notably boost 2023 production.

Endeavour acquired the Sabodala-Massawa mine from Teranga Gold on 10 February 2021, prior to which Teranga Gold acquired the Massawa project from Barrick Gold on 4 March 2020, combining the Sabodala mill and deposits with the nearby Massawa deposits.