Senior gold producer Endeavour Mining announces that first gold pour at the Sabodala-Massawa BIOX Expansion project, in Senegal, took place on April 18, marking the successful delivery of the BIOX Expansion project on schedule and on budget, with no lost-time injuries.

Endeavour points out that the first gold pour at the Sabodala-Massawa BIOX Expansion was achieved only 24 months after construction started, transforming the Sabodala-Massawa Complex into a tier-one mine.

Since the start of wet commissioning in February, about 50 000 t of ore have been processed through the BIOX Expansion, with the processing plant operating in line with expectations.

The first gold pour from the gravity circuit was completed on April 18 and yielded about 112 oz of gold. This was followed by the first gold pour from the BIOX circuit on April 28, yielding about 612 oz of gold.

Commercial production at the BIOX Expansion project is expected late in the second quarter, with the project to ramp up to its nameplate capacity of 1.2-million tonnes a year in the third quarter.

Over 3.5-million man-hours have been completed with zero lost-time injuries (LTIs).

The largest group exploration programme is planned at Sabodala-Massawa this year, with a spend of $21-million, focussed on resource-to-reserve conversion and adding near-mine refractory and non-refractory resources.

Following the on-schedule startup of the BIOX Expansion, the group remains on track to achieve its full-year guidance of 1.13-million and 1.27-million ounces at an all-in sustaining cost of $955/oz to $1 035/oz.

“We are proud to have achieved our first gold pour at the Sabodala-Massawa BIOX Expansion.

“We have commissioned the project and delivered first gold in only two years, marking the fourth capital project that we have completed in the last ten years. All of these have been completed in two years or less, and have been delivered on schedule, on budget and with no LTIs.

“This is a testament to the quality of our projects team and the competitive advantage we have in West Africa,” says CEO Ian Cockerill.

He adds that the company is starting to shift focus to delivering the Lafigué project, in Côte d’Ivoire, in the coming weeks – a full quarter ahead of schedule.

“The successful launch of both the Sabodala-Massawa Expansion and the Lafigué projects will further improve the quality of the portfolio, adding low-cost production and extending mine life visibility.

“The completion of the two projects underpins our transition to a more cash flow generative phase, from the second half of the year, when we will focus on enhancing shareholder returns and de-levering our balance sheet, as we continue to execute on our strategy,” Cockerill says.