Randgold CEO Mark Bristow
Photo by: Duane Daws
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – A steady improvement in performance is expected at gold miner Randgold Resources’ Tongon mine, in Côte d'Ivoire, during the second half of the year, as the operation continues to make headway in its drive to overcome technical issues, Randgold CEO Dr Mark Bristow has indicated.
In a statement at the weekend, he explained that this year’s planned ramp-up in production at the mine had not been achieved owing to the need to expand the flotation circuit and the mechanical failure of the recently installed Vibrocone crushers, which had been intended to improve the mine’s recovery and throughput rate.
The expansion of the flotation circuit was now under way and the crusher supplier, Sandvik, had agreed to replace the Vibrocone crushers with conventional cone crushers and combine them with an upgraded flowsheet, including additional equipment and circuits.
Bristow noted that the first two new crushers were already on site, along with most of the other equipment, while the Sandvik team was working hard to ensure that the project would be completed early in the fourth quarter.
However, despite these improvements, Tongon’s 2014 production was likely to fall within 10% short of its original guidance of 260 000 oz, owing to the ground that had already been lost and the inevitable operational impact associated with the commissioning of the new equipment that would result in the new flotation expansion only being completed by the end of the year.
"Considering the challenges Tongon has had to deal with, this is a creditable performance and a tribute to the team and the ongoing support from Sandvik," Bristow said.
He added that, in the meantime, Randgold’s exploration team was continuing its work to extend Tongon's life by drilling below the Southern and Northern Zone pits and evaluating adjacent satellite deposits.
“Four targets close to the mine have already been identified,” he noted.
On the wider issue of gold mining in Côte d'Ivoire, Bristow described the country's new mining code, which the government had developed in close consultation with the industry, as a model for other African countries.
He expressed hope that the current process of finalising the associated regulations would be conducted in the same spirit, and that the issuing of licences, in particular, would be accelerated.
"Randgold is very positive about Côte d'Ivoire's potential and we are keen to expand our presence here. However, for that to happen, we need a constant supply of the permits and targets that will deliver our next new discovery. We have had two new permits granted but we still have ten applications that are outstanding,” Bristow pointed out.
"While we are waiting for those, we are carrying out aggressive exploration programmes across our existing Ivorian permit portfolio, including drilling over 15 000 m on the Mankono and Fapoha permits, and our geologists have identified multiple soil anomalies in favourable geological and structural settings for further testing.
“We have also increased our exploration budget and recruited more Ivorian personnel to support our extensive exploration programmes," he added.