Modern Mining November 2015

GOLD

A blast at the Kibali mine. Kibali production decreased by 4 % to 160 065 ounces during the quarter following a planned 12 % drop in head grade milled, partially offset by increased throughput.

steady operation of the plant with increases in plant availability. The 1 % drop in recover- ies reflected the change in ore feed, including additional transitional material from the Mengu Hill pit. Total cash costs for the quarter increased on the back of lower gold production from US$553/oz in Q2 to US$634/oz in the current quarter. The first phase of Ambarau, the second hydropower station at Kibali, was completed and commissioning is currently in progress. The mine’s energy efficiency has increased this quarter as a result of the improved hydropower performance. Photos courtesy of Randgold Resources

by 9 % on the previous quarter. Total cash costs increased to US$861/oz (Q2 2015: US$594/oz) on the back of the lower production. Preparation for the Domba project – Domba is a satellite deposit of Morila – continued dur- ing the quarter. The feasibility report for the project has been submitted to the government, and the mine is expecting to obtain authorisa- tion for the immediate start of the project with first delivery of ore to the plant expected in Q4 2015. Mining the Domba pit is expected to add an additional three months of higher grade ore. Tongon produced 63 519 oz of gold in Q3 2015, 16 % higher than the previous quar- ter, primarily as a result of a 10 % increase in tonnes processed. Recovery continues to show an upward trend quarter on quarter with a further 1,8 % improvement achieved in Q3 as a result of further stabilisation of the new rougher flotation circuit. Optimising the mass pull and concentrate grade from the rougher and scavenger cells and improvement in the Ultra-Fine-Grind (UFG) operation is expected to improve recovery further. Kibali produced 160 065 oz in Q3, a decrease of 4 % compared to the prior quarter, following the planned 12 % drop in head grade milled, partially offset by increased throughput. The increased throughput reflected the continued

Randgold joins Exploration Initiative As part of its exploration effort, Randgold has joined the West African Exploration Initiative (WAXI) to tap into its research programme, now in its ninth year, for additional information which its generative team can lever­ age to expand its data foundation. Group Exploration Manager Joel Holliday says there is still a dearth of basic geological knowledge about Africa’s most prospective gold regions, so Randgold is investing in fundamental research to improve its under­ standing of mineralisation controls and other exploration factors. “We know we’re looking in the right areas, but we want to sharpen up our ability to spot the unique anomalies that signal world-class deposits,” he says. 

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