London-listed Kavango Resources has started building a 50-tonne-per-day carbon-in-pulp (CIP) gold processing test plant at its Bill's Luck mine within the Hillside Gold Project in Zimbabwe.
This development follows recent discoveries suggesting the gold system is more extensive than originally anticipated.
With mining operations already active at Bill's Luck, Kavango is focused on increasing short-term production.
The new CIP plant is designed to process ore exclusively from the Main Shaft, which currently produces about 30 tonnes per day.
The company expects the facility to boost gold output within three months of commissioning and become cash flow positive once steady-state throughput is achieved.
The decision to construct the new plant comes as Kavango's existing Hillside milling facility, equipped with three stamp mills and 12 VAT leach tanks, is operating at full capacity processing ore from local contract miners. This has left an 820-tonne stockpile at the Main Shaft, grading 2.55 g/t gold, waiting to be processed.
To address these capacity constraints, Kavango plans to install a roller mill that will double the milling capacity from 30 to 60 tonnes per day.
The company is also upgrading the Main Shaft's hoisting system to 5 tonnes per hour, which will enable daily ore production to increase to 70 tonnes.
“Our primary objective over the next 12 months is to build a 200 t/d gold processing plant at one of Kavango's projects,” said Kavango general manager Everjoy Ngomamiti.
“While we still have to decide which of our three main projects we will place that plant at, it is clear that a test plant at Bill's Luck can provide a more immediate impact for the company.”
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor-In-Chief, Rough & Polished
