Artemis Gold’s Blackwater Mine, south of Vanderhoof has achieved commercial production.
According to the company, the average tonnes per day processed through the crushing circuit was 17,700 tonnes per day over the past month (107% of design capacity), while the milling circuit has averaged 15,300 tonnes per day (93% of design capacity).
In addition, the milling circuit has averaged for the last 14 days 16,700 tonnes per day (102% of design capacity).
In the open pit, mining has delivered in excess of 90% of its planned tonnage.
Since milling operations began this year, gold production has totalled approximately 30,000 ounces.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I express my sincere gratitude and congratulations to the Blackwater team and our contractors for their hard work and dedication in achieving this milestone. We completed construction in an industry leading 22 months, and the team achieved commercial production in a remarkable three months from commencement of milling operations. We will soon turn our attention to the potential acceleration of the proposed Phase 2 expansion, which is anticipated to increase Blackwater’s average annual production to over 500,000 equivalent gold ounces per year, firmly establishing the mine as a Tier 1 asset in a top jurisdiction,” said Steven Dean, Artemis Gold Chairman and CEO.
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