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."