Mining News: Brucejack ramps up to 400,000 oz/year pace

Pretium Resources Inc. Oct. 11 reported that its Brucejack Mine in northwestern British Columbia produced 82,203 ounces of gold during the third quarter. At the onset of the quarter, the feed for the newly commissioned mill was predominately from low-grade stockpiles and development muck, resulting in 16,882 oz of gold produced during July. As the ramp-up progressed, the mill began processing stope ore exclusively, resulting in 65,321 oz of gold produced in the last two months of the quarter. The average mill feed grade for the quarter was 10.52 grams per metric tons gold and the recovery rate for the period was 96.49 percent. The mill processed 261,262 metric tons of ore during the third quarter, an average of 2,840 metric tons per day. According to a feasibility study completed in 2014, the Valley of the Kings deposit at Brucejack is expected to produce 7.3 million oz of gold over 18 year, or roughly 404,000 oz annually.

–SHANE LASLEY