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- West African Resources (WAF) has poured its first gold, weighing an impressive 23.9 kilos, at the Sanbrado Gold Project in Burkina Faso
- The gold explorer-turned-producer is pleased this milestone has been achieved earlier than expected
- Since start-up, 75,000 tonnes at 1.5 g/t of gold have been processed through the Sanbrado plant
- Additionally, roughly 1200 tonnes of underground ore has been mined and stockpiled, ready for processing
- In light of COVID-19, the company has stated operations will continue and the health of its staff is being monitored
- Company shares are flat today and trading at 45.5 cents each
West African Resources (WAF) has poured first gold, weighing 23.9 kilograms, at its Sanbrado Gold Project in Burkina Faso.
On March 10, the company announced completing construction activities and commenced processing ore through the milling and extraction circuits.
First gold pour wasn’t expected until early next quarter, which is a testament to the company’s commitment to transition from a gold explorer to a gold producer.
“This is a major milestone for West African Resources and marks the beginning of a new phase in the WAF story,” Executive Chairman Richard Hyde said.
Construction and commissioning activities have been completed and the project has recently passed 3 million hours worked LTI (lost time injury) free.
As of today, 75,000 tonnes at 1.5 g/t of gold have been processed through the Sanbrado plant, with indicative metallurgical recoveries over 90 per cent.
“I would like to thank WAF’s owners’ team and all consultants, contractors and other stakeholders for their hard work and support over the last four years to bring Sanbrado from discovery into production,” Richard added.
Open-pit mining has ramped up mining activities and continues at the M5 and M1 South pits, with double day and night shifts ongoing.
Currently there are 250,000 tonnes of oxide ore on the ROM (run-of-mine) pad at an average grade of 1.5 g/t of gold.
Additionally, underground development continues to progress to schedule. About 1200 tonnes of underground ore has been mined and stockpiled for processing. Grade control drilling of the first panel on the 2120 level has intercepted visible gold, with assays pending.
In relation to COVID-19, West African Resources is continuing operations as usual and expect ongoing gold production for the next three to six months.
The newly commissioned fuel farm is receiving regular fuel deliveries from Oryx Burkina Faso and is expected to be filled to capacity within the next week.
Company staff have been involved in a risk assessment workshop and medical staff are monitoring the temperature of anyone entering the site. They will implement a self-isolation policy for anyone suspected of being COVID-19 positive.
Company shares are flat today and trading at 45.5 cents each at 3:32 pm AEDT.
