Gold producer Resolute Mining has completed the Syama sulphide plant shutdown in Mali after facility upgrades totaling A$7.5 million.
Perth-based Resolute said the work included major shutdown activities for crushing milling and roasting circuits. Specifically, it upgraded crusher liners, transfer chutes, mill cyclone feed pumps, flotation tailings pumps, roaster feed systems as well as the roaster primary cyclone and ESP.
The project took 64,000 hours and was worked on by 201 staff and 447 contractors. The shutdown stretched from 18 February to 20 March, with work completed ahead of schedule and with no recordable injuries.
Comminution circuits were recommissioned on 20 March, the producer said; first gold concentrate was fed to the roaster on 31 March.
“Flotation concentrate has been stockpiled in advance of the roaster re-start to provide immediate gold concentrate feed,” it noted. “The full restart of the roaster was delayed by three days to account for revised recommendations from the refractory suppliers resulting in a more conservative refractory installation and curing process.”
Plant performance is now expected to be more consistent and manageable, it said, as measured by overall plant availability – which it said will lead to improved production outcomes. Roaster capacity is also expected to increase, effectively moving the sulphide circuit ‘bottleneck’ from the roaster to the crusher.
“Following a detailed review of the integrity of the roaster, use of condition monitoring controls and the properties of the newly installed refractory it should be possible to extend the next major shut and refurbishment of the roaster by up to seven years improving the production profile of the Syama sulphide project and Life-of-Mine fundamentals,” Resolute officials said.
Syama gold production remains on target for the March quarter.
The property, located about 32 km from the Cote d’Ivoire border and 300 km southeast of Bamako, is made up of the Syama underground mine and the Tabakoroni complex.
Resolute’s asset ownership of Syama is an 80% interest; the government of Mali has the remaining 20% interest. Tabakoroni is owned by Société des Mines de Finkolo SA (SOMIFI), of which Resolute owns 90% through its wholly owned subsidiary Resolute (Finkolo).
Source: Resolute Mining