PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Gold miner WPG Resources has warned that its Challenger gold mine, in South Australia, is unlikely to reach its production targets this month.
The company reported on Monday that the Challenger mine was likely to produce only 3 000 oz of gold in December, compared with the 5 100 oz produced in November.
Total gold production for the December quarter is expected to reach 12 400 oz, which is marginally more than the previous quarter’s production of 12 138 oz.
WPG said on Monday that while underground ore haulage in the year-to-date had been a little more than budgeted, mine development had been well behind schedule.
The company noted that the production projection for December was largely attributable to the impact of this delayed development, which had resulted in only lower-grade stoping areas being available for production during the month of December.
The Challenger contractor, Pybar Mining Services, has agreed to employ two more fitters at the mine, in an effort to improve the availability of the two existing jumbo development drill rigs. The company has also agreed to deploy a third jumbo at Challenger to catch up on the development shortfall.
Edited by: Creamer Media Reporter
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