AMN - COTE D’IVOIRE: Tongon mine commissions crushing circuit

Randgold Resources’ Tongon gold mine has commissioned its fourth-stage crushing circuit, completing an extensive capital project designed to improve throughput and recovery. The new circuit is currently being optimised.

CEO Mark Bristow says Tongon is continuing to make headway in its drive to overcome technical issues, with gold production up 7% to 242,948 oz in 2015 as the flotation upgrade and crushing circuit extension program started delivering results.

“Tongon is targeting annual production of 290,000 oz in 2016 but there are still significant challenges in its way. Chief among these is the continued instability of the grid power supply, which has a major impact on the mine’s cost structure. The Tongon team is in discussion with the Ivorian power utility to resolve this problem,” he said.

Bristow noted that despite a high level of activity, Tongon was maintaining its excellent safety record, reaching 3.7 million lost-time injury-free hours in 2015. It had also retained its OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001 certifications.

It was also continuing its drive to extend the life of the mine through exploration, with the latest drilling results indicating the potential for additional reserves and resources within and below the existing open pits.

www.randgoldresources.com

News courtesy of International Mining