Just a bit over six months after pouring first gold, Equinox Gold’s Santa Luz gold mine in Brazil has reached commercial production on 1 October.
The Canadian-based miner said the mine’s mill is now operating at approximately 90% of design capacity of 7,400 tonnes per day, with recoveries consistently above 70% and ranging up to 85%.
Through 30 September, the mine produced approximately 23,000 ounces of gold, and gold production is expected to continue to increase through the fourth quarter of 2022.
“Santa Luz is our fourth operating mine in Brazil and represents 100,000 ounces of average annual production with mine life extension potential from near-mine surface targets, an underground deposit, and additional opportunities in the 70-km-long mineralized greenstone belt that hosts our Santa Luz and Fazenda mines,” said President and CEO Greg Smith.
“We thank the Santa Luz team for their dedication and hard work to achieve this commercial production milestone and celebrate their exemplary safety record, working more than 4.3 million hours since the start of construction with no lost-time injuries.”
Source: www.equinoxgold.com