(Kitco News) - Asante Gold (CSE: ASE) today announced the successful refurbishment, commissioning and start of operation of the process plant and associated equipment at the Bibiani gold mine.
The company said that a 14-day period of intermittent operation is planned to test controls, calibrate operating systems and align critical equipment "under full load", adding that this period is expected to lead to 24 hour/day operation by the end of June 2022.
Asante added that comprehensive refurbishment has been completed on the primary crusher, all conveyors, SAG and ball mills, ancillary equipment, all mechanical drives, lubrication systems, electric motors, pumps, piping, electric systems, instrumentation systems, valves, steelwork, rubber installations and civil works.
The Bibiani gold mine came out of care and maintenance in September 2021 and an extensive refurbishment program has continued since that time. With the support of its key contractors, Asante said it remains on track to pour gold in the third quarter of 2022.
President and CEO Dave Anthony stated, "We are pleased that our refurbishment efforts at the Bibiani gold mine have been delivered ahead of schedule. The excellent and timely work completed safely by Ghanaian contractors, is just another example of how the Ghanaian mining industry is fully resourced to support development and maintenance of modern, large-scale mining operations. With the process plant operational, Asante is now ready to advance with start of operations."
The Bibiani gold mine is a historically significant Ghanaian gold mine situated in the Western North region of Ghana. Bibiani has previous production of +4Moz, is fully permitted with available mining and processing infrastructure on site consisting of a 3 million tonne per annum mill and processing plant.
Asante is a gold exploration, project development and operations company with a portfolio of projects in Ghana, Africa's largest gold producer. Asante is currently focused on completing the purchase of the Chirano gold mine previously announced on April 25, 2022 and developing to production its Bibiani and Kubi gold mines located on the prolific Bibiani and Ashanti Gold Belts.
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