Canadian-based Aya Gold & Silver has kicked off commissioning activities at its new 2,000-tonnes-per-day mill at the underground Zgounder silver mine in Morocco.
“We are excited to highlight Zgounder’s move from construction to commissioning,” said President and CEO Benoit La Salle. “When commissioned and combined with the current plants, Zgounder expanded operations will deliver LOM average production of 7 million silver ounces per year at a low quartile cost.
“So far, commissioning is proceeding to plan with all systems performing as expected. With physical completion at 95% and capital expenditures on the project winding down, we are approaching an exciting inflection point when we expect to see Zgounder investment begin to yield meaningful cash flow and shareholder returns.”
The miner said pre-commissioning activities were ongoing in the main process plant areas, including the grinding circuit and the silver refinery as part of the commissioning process. Tests are currently being conducted on the ball mill, which is running without loads. Aya said the mine expansion is on track for mill ore feed in the early third quarter and commercial production in the fourth quarter.
Located in the central Anti-Atlas mountains, Zgounder has a 2024 silver production guidance of 2.6 – 3.2 million ounces.
Source: Aya Gold & Silver