First gold poured at Gruyere

Gruyere 50/50 joint venture partners Gold Fields and Gold Road Resources have poured first gold at the $621 million project located 200 kilometres east of Laverton.

The three dore gold bars which totalled an estimated 1139 ounces and were produced from the carbon-in-leach and elution circuits, while commissioning of the less complex gravity circuit is still in progress.

Gold Road chief executive Duncan Gibbs said this weekend’s gold pour was a tremendous milestone given that the Gold Road team discovered the Gruyere orebody less than six years ago. 

“Importantly, Gold Road joins the ranks of ASX‐listed gold producers as owner of a 50% stake in the world‐class Gruyere gold mine,” he said.

“Our work is far from done, we remain committed to exploring the highly prospective Yamarna Greenstone Belt to unlock the potential through the discovery of more resource ounces for Gruyere and new discoveries that could be developed as stand‐alone gold mines.”

Last month, the JV revealed there would be at least a one month delay to commission the ball mill.

It is now expected to be commissioned early in the September quarter.

Consequently, gold production estimates for the year were lowered to between 75,000 to 100,000 ounces, down from the previous guidance of around 100,000 to 120,000 ounces.

It said the the operation’s all-in sustaining costs are also anticipated to be higher than the previous guidance of between $1050 and $1150 an ounce.