48 / 84
46
MODERN MINING
January 2017
B
uilt ahead of schedule and on
budget (US$295 million) without
a single Lost Time Injury (LTI),
Asanko Phase 1 was designed to
produce 190 000 ounces of gold
a year but is already operating well above de-
sign capacity. Says Truter: “We poured our first
gold in late January 2016 after commissioning
the plant one month ahead of schedule and
we were able to declare commercial produc-
tion on 1 April. Steady-state production was
achieved by the end of the second quarter of
Asanko shaping up
to be one
GOLD
Stockpiles and conveyers at
Asanko Gold Mine in Ghana.
Africa has seen some very successful gold mine startups over the past several years, among them
Otjikoto in Namibia and Kibali in the DRC. But shaping up to be possibly the most successful of all is
the Asanko Gold Mine (AGM) in Ghana, which has turned in a stunning performance since starting
up in January 2016.
Modern Mining’s
Arthur Tassell recently spoke to Hugo Truter, Chief Operating
Officer of Asanko Gold, about the current Phase 1 operation and also the recently approved Phase
2A expansion. Ultimately, when both Phases 2A and 2B are up and running, Asanko will rank as the
second largest gold mine in Ghana and the seventh largest in Africa.
Top projects