PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Copper miner Altona Mining has reported a 13% contained copper increase and a 25% contained gold increase at its Kylylahti underground mine, in Finland.
“This is the second successive increase in reserves. We expect infill and extension drilling to continue this trend of replacing or growing resources,” said Altona MD Alistair Cowden.
The current ore reserve estimate now stood at 4.55-million tonnes, grading 1.66% copper, 0.83 g/t gold and 0.62% zinc for 75 651 t of copper, 121 915 oz of gold and 28 032 t of zinc.
Cowden noted that an additional 200 000 t of planned production derived from inferred resource was currently classified as mining inventory.
“Altona is targeting lifting production to a rate of 650 000 t/y. Reserves and mining inventory total 4.75-million tonnes, which will support production for a minimum of seven-and-a-half years,” said Cowden.
The Kylylahti mine forms part of Altona’s greater Outokumpu project.