Horizon stacks up Boorara ore for Black Swan WA gold hub kickstart

Horizon Minerals is lining up a low-risk run for its planned Black Swan gold processing hub restart in WA’s Goldfields.

The company’s current phase of mining at Boorara was completed last December and has mutually terminated its ore purchase agreement with Paddington Gold Mine, effective on 11 February.

Instead, Horizon now finds itself sitting on a pretty handy pile of mined ore at its Boorara project, with about 460,000 tonnes of material stacked, containing an estimated 14,200 ounces of gold. 

Rather than trucking the material offsite for processing, the company plans to keep the ore close to home and use it as the primary starter feed when its planned Black Swan gold processing hub fires up in mid-2027. The move should help keep the mill turning during the crucial early phase of ramp-up, smoothing the path as the operation settles into steady production.

Horizon Minerals managing director and chief executive officer Grant Haywood said: “With the mutual resolution of the haulage contract for the remaining Boorara ore, Horizon Minerals will utilise the 14.2koz Au stockpile as the initial ore source for the commissioning of the Black Swan Processing Hub in mid-2027.” 

Management says having that ore already mined and ready to go de-risks the start-up by providing a consistent supply during what can be the most delicate milestone in the life of any processing plant – first production.

Haywood added that Boorara remains a key part of the company’s plan, and Horizon remains on track to become the next standalone mid-tier gold producer in WA’s gold fields.

To accommodate the plan, Horizon has already kicked off pre-production planning and operational readiness work at Boorara, to restart the next mining phase early in 2027. The timing should dovetail neatly with the planned commissioning window for the Black Swan processing hub.

The company also says it has ordered long-lead items to fast-track the gold conversion of its planned Black Swan hub – another sign that it is leaning hard into the timetable and doesn’t want to risk being held up by delays in critical equipment.

If Horizon can keep stacking up the practical pieces – ore already mined, development plans locked in and equipment on order – its mid-2027 Black Swan start-up timing could shape up as the next big catalyst for the punters to watch out for.

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au