Kinross Gold’s La Coipa project in Chile has marked a significant milestone in its new life as an active operation: the pouring of its first gold bar.
The Canadian miner said the news comes just one month after it confirmed the start of commissioning at the project’s plant in early February. With work advancing on time and within budget, crews at La Coipa are now pushing to ramp up to full operating capacity – a goal they want to reach by mid-year.
The project in the Atacama region is already expanding in size as well; late last year, Kinross increased La Coipa’s mine life by 45%, or about 1 million gold equivalent ounces, by integrating the neighboring Puren pit into the project. With that and the optimization of the site’s Phase 7 mine plan, the complex will now be able to run through 2026, up from 2024.
Pre-stripping at Puren is projected to begin next month.
“Thanks to the hard work and contributions of our team in Chile, we were able to reach this important milestone and pour our first gold bar at La Coipa,” said President and CEO J. Paul Rollinson.
“Our team has safely delivered the project on schedule and under budget despite the challenging operating environment caused by the global pandemic over the past two years. With La Coipa expected to reach full operating capacity by mid-year, we are on the cusp of further exciting milestones at the project.”
In 2021, Kinross inked a power purchase agreement (PPA) for the operation, giving it 100% renewable power, a crucial key to its gas emissions reduction plan.
Source: Kinross Gold