Hard rock mining operations ceased at Mineral Hill, a gold and copper mine located in the Cobar Basin of New South Wales, Australia, in 2016. The company said the safe restart at Pearse North is a major step towards Kingston’s objective to become a regionally significant producer. The plant refurbishment program is well advanced, and Kingston expects to be treating open-pit oxide ore in July, with ore already being stockpiled on the ROM pad.

“The safe reintroduction of drilling and blasting operations, and commencement of mining activities are a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team,” Kingston Resources Managing Director and CEO Andrew Corbett said. “The Pearse North and Pearse South open pits will be the initial stages of our return to hard rock mining at Mineral Hill, and we look forward to continuing to develop this project and delivering value to our shareholders.”

The processing plant currently operates a carbon-in-leach extraction circuit, and the company said work is well advanced to recommission the existing crushing, grinding and flotation circuits for gold, copper, lead and zinc concentrate production.