Pure Gold Mining Inc has reported strong production in the third quarter from its flagship mine in Red Lake, Ontario, and said it expected to continue ramping up throughput and mill head grade towards full capacity by the end of the first quarter of 2022.
The company, which declared commercial production at the PureGold mine on August 1 this year, also reported that senior mining executive and director of the company Maryse Belanger had become the mine’s full-time general manager effective today.
“The third quarter was a strong operational quarter for the PureGold Mine with quarter-over-quarter improvements in ore production, underground development rates, and mill head grades,” said CEO Darin Labrenz in a statement.
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“We expect mill throughput and mill head grades to continue trending positively through the end of 2021 and into 2022 as ongoing accelerated development and definition drilling programs continue to open up access and build inventory in both the East Ramp and Main Ramp areas of the mine. Underground drilling continues to confirm the high-grade nature of this deposit and we are excited by what lies ahead,” he added.
Labrenz also welcomed Maryse Belanger’s appointment, saying that her “decades of hands-on global mining experience and a progressive approach to mining placing a high priority on safety, sustainability, and accountability” were an excellent addition to the PureGold team.
Belanger’s previous roles include president, director and chief operating officer of Atlantic Gold (TSX-V:AGB), where she successfully guided the Touquoy mine in Nova Scotia from construction to commissioning, ramp-up and full production, through to its acquisition by St. Barbara for $722 million.
Meanwhile, at the PureGold mine, production for the three months to September 30 came in at 9,260 ounces, a 54% increase on the second quarter, driven by higher grades and increased tonnage.
The average mill head grade was 4.8 grams per ton (g/t) gold, which was a 15% increase from the second quarter, while the average mill recovery rate was 94.7%, in line with expectations.
Average daily throughput of 685 tonnes per day (tpd) for the quarter, a 35% increase compared to the second quarter driven by increased stope access and mill upgrades.
The average ramp development rate was 7.4 meters per day, as improving stope access and continuing to accelerate access to deeper, higher-grade zones of the mine, including 8-Zone, remains a top priority for the miner.
Pure Gold Mining noted it was targeting a production rate of around 600 and 700 tpd at an average head grade of 5.5 to 6.5 g/t gold for the fourth quarter of 2021expe. It expects to continue ramping up both throughput and mill head grade toward the mine’s full capacity by the end of Q1, 2022. The company now expects to sustain 1,000 tpd by mid-2022, it added.
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