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Sumatra lowers Tembang production guidance

30th August 2016

By: Megan van Wyngaardt

Creamer Media Contributing Editor Online

  

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JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The production guidance for the full year at Sumatra Copper & Gold’s Tembang gold/silver mine, in Indonesia, has been revised from 35 000 oz gold equivalent to between 30 000 oz and 33 000 oz.

Over the next three months, a revised ore extraction method would result in lower ore production from underground operations at the company’s Belinau operation, it said on Tuesday.

This is owing to a geotechnical event experienced above Level 4 at the western end of Belinau in July. Over the past month, the Indonesia-focused miner filled the void with competent rock from surface, with the area now stable with no anticipated threat to infrastructure.

The production rate of 45 000 oz/y to 55 000 oz/y is now expected to be achieved during the first quarter of 2017.

The interim ore extraction method by ore drives for Levels 5 and 6 hads already begun and will provide a continuous ore supply to the mill until the decline reaches Level 8, where conventional stoping will resume.

The company also plans to acquire two smaller loaders to reduce the width of ore development to 2.5 m from the previous 3.6 m. This will reduce dilution and accelerate ore development.

A number of other initiatives have been implemented to increase development productivity including improved integrated scheduling of jumbo drill and ground support routines, which has resulted in a 30% improvement in cycle times and the introduction of airleg drills to bolt walls, which has freed up jumbo drills to bore the face of the decline and development drives.

To compensate for the lower production from underground, the openpit mining schedule has been optimised with additional ore planned to be extracted from the Siamang open pit, where additional intermediary veins have been encountered, combined with a redesign and accelerated schedule for the mine’s Berenai-Nuri openpit.

The newly designed openpit brings forward 83% of the contained ounces to be mined over the coming year by delaying the waste cutback to the north. The revised three-stage design of Berenai modifies the staging of development but does not alter ore reserves or the final pit dimensions.

Edited by Mariaan Webb
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

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