TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Project developer Guyana Goldfields (GGI) on Monday said construction of its $249-million Aurora gold project, in Guyana, South America, was in top gear and progressing on schedule and within budget, with the first gold pour on track for mid-2015.

As of December 31, the company had spent $172-million of the approved budget, with $77-million of capital expenditure still to be spent to take the project to commercial production.

GGI, which was building one of three gold mines that are expected to become operational in Guyana this year, reported that its current spend was about $10-million a month. The project was tracking on budget with $58-million available in overfunding.

GGI would start phased commissioning of its gold processing plant in mid-2015, which included the semi-autogenous grind (SAG) mill and gravity circuit. Full plant mechanical completion was expected in the third quarter.

The company said it was targeting a three-month timeframe to reach commercial production by late in the third quarter. The company expected to produce between 30 000 oz and 50 000 oz of gold this year.

Activities were currently centred around installing critical plant components to support the phased commissioning plan.

Key operating systems included the saprolite feed system, the SAG mill and gravity circuit, followed by carbon-in-leach tanks, the gold room and effluent treatment systems. Commissioning included power generation, water and air support systems. All bulk earthworks on the plant platforms and dam and water retention structures had been completed. 

Project construction was about 80% complete, with the company now focusing on operational readiness and the upcoming commissioning.

GGI said it was currently operating at peak construction and manpower levels with more than 800 personnel at site. Currently, all critical operations staff were in place and were staffing up departments for training in anticipation of commissioning and start-up. The mine would employ about 600 people on a permanent basis.

The Aurora project had total proven and probable reserves of 3.48-million ounces of gold, with the measured and indicated resource categories at 6.54-million ounces and the inferred category at 1.82-million ounces.