PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Dual-listed gold miner Alacer Gold reported a solid production quarter from its Çöpler mine, in Turkey, during the first quarter of 2017.
The mine produced 32 918 oz in the March quarter, which was in line with the 31 926 oz produced in the previous corresponding period, Alacer reported on Wednesday.
Gold sales were slightly higher at 34 804 oz, compared with the 31 750 oz sold in the first quarter of 2016.
Production from the Çöpler mine is expected to increase as oxide ore is accessed in the Wet pit and Manganese pit. Alacer expects to produce between 160 000 oz and 180 000 oz in the full year, with the first half of the year accounting for between 35% and 40% of the total output.
Meanwhile, the sulphide project at Çöpler is advancing on schedule and on budget. Construction on the $744-million project started in May 2016, with the first gold pour scheduled for the third quarter of 2018.
The sulphide project consists of the introduction of a whole-ore pressure oxidation (POX) circuit at Çöpler, which is expected to process sulphide ore at a rate of 5 000 t/d and will result in a 20-year mine life for the project.
Over the remaining project life, the Çöpler mine is expected to produce some four-million ounces of gold.