TRX Gold has confirmed a plan to expand its milling capacity and up production in South Africa, ordering an additional ball mill for the Buckreef gold operation.
The Canadian-headquartered miner, which said in January it was targeting an increase of 75-100% of its oxide through the addition, placed the order for the 1,000-tonne-per-day mill through CSI Energy Group Tanzania in partnership with Solo Resources.
The mill will measure 3,200 millimetres in diameter by 4,500 mm equivalent grinding length and a 630-kilowatt drive motor. It is scheduled to be shipped within 60 days, ex-works, as orders in the final stages for the project include several other major items of equipment: the crushing circuit upgrade equipment (apron feeder, vibrating grizzly and double deck screen), additional CIL inter-tank screens and CIL agitators.
Three more CIL leach tanks, with 400 m3 nominal capacity each, will be constructed on-site.
“The mill expansion will occur simultaneously with the upgrade of the existing power supply, from the current 2.5 MVA to 5.0 MVA, through the addition of a second 2.5 MVA transformer on the national grid,” TRX Gold said. “[The company] remains committed to sustainable practices and is pleased that it will be able to rely on additional capacity from the national power grid, which is mainly powered by clean hydroelectricity.”
The expansion will nearly double milling capacity from 20,000-25,000 ounces of gold. Commissioning is expected in early fiscal 2024.
Buckreef is located about 45 km west of Barrick Gold’s Bulyanhulu gold mine and nearly 35 km south from AngloGold Ashanti’s flagship Geita mine in north-central Tanzania.
Source: TRX Gold