Major Milestone For Mexican Project
Golden Minerals Company (TSX: AUMN) has reported the first gold pour from its Rodeo gold project in Durango State, Mexico.
The pour occurred on schedule and roughly three weeks after the first loads of material were trucked from the Rodeo site to the company’s Velardeña oxide plant for processing.
President and CEO, Warren Rehn, said the first pour produced approximately 150 gold equivalent ounces. Additional gold pours are planned for early February.
“This first pour represents a tremendous milestone for Golden Minerals,” Mr Rehn said.
“Not only have we brought Rodeo online amidst the many challenges presented by Covid-19, but we have brought it to production both on time and on budget.
“I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all our employees and business partners who helped us achieve this milestone.
The company began processing at a rate of around 200 tonnes per day (tpd). Golden is currently installing a “regrind” ball mill at Velardeña’s oxide plant, where Rodeo’s material is processed. This mill, which is designed specifically to increase throughput at the process plant by increasing grinding capacity for the silicified material from Rodeo, will be used in sequence with the existing ball mill and will perform a secondary grind of the oversized material. Once this regrind ball mill comes online (anticipated to occur in March 2021), throughput of Rodeo’s material is anticipated to increase to around 450 tpd.
