Azerbaijan, Baku, July 31 / Trend E. Kosolapova/
Kazakh Hambledon Mining Plc increased gold production by 30 percent to 7,589 ounces in the second quarter of 2013 compared to the same period of 2012, the company reported. This represents circa 50 percent increase compared to the previous quarter results.
"Increased production has been driven by a nine percent year on year increase in ore milled and a higher ore grade, sourced from the open pit mine and complemented by ore extracted from the underground mine," the company said.
Increase in gold grade was a function of both the rich underground ore grade as well as higher open pit grade, the latter being a result of the deeper mining operations nearing the high grade ore body. This high grade ore body is also the target, at varying depths, of the underground mining operations.
The recovery rate at the processing plant was below target in May 2013 due to the high variability of gold grade in the feed ore. The recovery rate was restored from 76.5 per cent in May to the budgeted level of 83.2 per cent in June.
Hambledon commenced mining of ore from the underground mine in mid-June 2013 with 5,016 tones of ore processed at the plant and tests undertaken, before 30 June 2013, to ascertain optimal mix and recovery rates of the underground ore.
In a test with a 50:50 ratio of underground ore and open pit ore, with an overall gold content of 2.1 grams per tonne, the achieved recovery rate was 82.67 per cent.
In a test using solely underground ore, with a gold content of 4.04 grams per ton, as the source of material for the plant, the achieved recovery rate was 91.3 per cent for gold and 95.4 per cent for silver.
"These recovery rates are a positive indicator for the future productivity of the plant, when the source material consists of only underground ore, which is forecast to be the case from mid-2015, when the production life of the open pit comes to an end," the company said.
Hambledon Mining plc is a gold mining and development group, which is operating the Sekisovskoye gold mine close to Ust Kamenogorsk in East Kazakhstan.
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