JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – TSX- and Aim-listed Aureus Mining, which is building Liberia's first commercial gold mine, the New Liberty gold project, said on Thursday that the project was on track to deliver first gold in the first quarter of next year and to be fully commissioned and operating at a steady-state nameplate capacity by June 30 next year.

Updating the market on the progress of plant construction, the company said the project was 62% complete, with the construction of the crushing circuits, ball mill, carbon-in-leach, thickener circuits and the gold room continuing on schedule and steelwork at an advanced stage.

The primary crusher had been placed in position and was currently awaiting the vendor for further assembly prior to commissioning, with work to position the secondary crusher due to start shortly.

The ball mill and all associated components had arrived on site, with the gearboxes, pinions and barring units having been delivered in late June.

The plant administration building was 95% complete, with only finishing work to be undertaken. The visitors, junior and senior accommodation in the mine camp was also almost complete and nearing full occupation.

The first batch of power generators had arrived at New Liberty, while the first shipment of four Komatsu HD785 dump trucks had arrived in Liberia and would be on site within a week.

Good progress had also been made in preparing the mine footprint. The topsoil had been removed, while prestrip mining and reverse circulation grade control drilling had started.

All families had, meanwhile, been relocated from Kinjor and Larjor to the New Kinjor township.

Noting that the company continued to make good progress at New Liberty, Aureus Mining CEO and president David Reading said in a statement that the company recognised the impact that the Ebola virus disease (EVD) was having on West Africa and had implemented control measures to ensure the project remained a safe place for its workforce.

The company has applied “stringent” preventive control measures to allow construction at New Liberty to continue safely and on schedule, while various precautionary measures have been implemented, including access control to Aureus' operations; temperature screening; education and collaboration with local villages and village elders; detailed and regular communication with employees, contractors and visitors; heightened medical provisions and medical assistance at the New Liberty medical clinic; and travel restrictions. 

Additionally, Aureus had recently started using charter flights to transport employees and contractors in and out of Liberia.

“We continue to coordinate with governments, nongovernmental organisations and task forces, as well as other mining companies dedicated to West Africa, with the objective of increasing the awareness of the virus.

“Every effort is being made to manage and implement our construction during this crisis and it is a testament to the team that we continue to progress,” Reading noted.

Aureus was an active member of the Public Sector Ebola Working Group, a group of 11 companies operating within the countries of West Africa and neighbouring States affected by EVD.