Newmont in commercial production at Ghana underground mine
Gold and copper miner Newmont Mining has declared commercial production at the Subika underground mine in Ghana – its third completed expansion project for the year.
The $186-million Subika underground project will expand the production of the Ahafo mine, producing an average of 150 000 oz/y to 200 000 oz/y for the first five years of its initial ten-year mine life.
Combined with completion of the Ahafo Mill Expansion project expected in the second half of next year, Ahafo’s average annual all-in sustaining costs are projected to improve by between $250/oz and $350/oz, compared with 2016.
“In addition to increasing gold production and lowering costs at Ahafo, Subika underground leverages the operation’s existing infrastructure and experienced workforce to further extend mine life,” Newmont CEO Gary Goldberg commented in a news release on Monday.
He added that the mine provided an underground platform to explore additional upside potential in adjacent orebodies and also included some of the latest technologies, including semi-autonomous loading operations, proximity detection for vehicles, personnel tracking, and planned installation of ventilation-on-demand systems.
Subika represents the company’s third expansion for the year, with the others being the Twin underground mine and the Northwest Exodus expansion, in Nevada, US.
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