The new CIL plant at Mount Morgans processes 2.5 million mt/y.

Dacian Gold Executive Chairman and CEO Rohan Williams said the first gold pour was the culmination of a highly successful exploration and development strategy implemented at Mount Morgans over the past five years.

“We started work at Mount Morgans a little over five years ago with several exploration concepts that we tested once we completed our IPO,” Williams said. “What has been achieved in that time from discovery, including the drill-out, feasibility studies, financing, permitting and now completion of a major A$200 million project build on time and on budget is an amazing effort by a very talented and hard-working group of employees, consultants and contractors.”

The company is now focused on ramping up the mine to steady-state production of more than 200,000 ounces per year (oz/y). With the construction of the 2.5 millionmetric- ton-per-year (mt/y) carbon-in-leach (CIL) treatment plant complete, Dacian expects the new Mount Morgans CIL plant to be operating at nameplate capacity and to achieve the associated performance testing requirements with its EPC contractor, GR Engineering Services Ltd. (GRES), within the second quarter of 2018, William said.

Mount Morgans is currently developing its two mining centers, Westralia (Beresford and Allanson), forming its 1-million-mt/y underground operation; and Jupiter forming its 1.5-milion-mt/y open-cut operation. Underground mining at Beresford and Allanson continues to advance ahead of plan with the majority of activity occurring at Beresford, which has reported 2,200 m of ore development, ore intersected on six levels and six stopes currently in production.