Fekola SA - Bamako

Villes :Bamako (Cercles : Bamako - Régions : Bamako)

Ajoutée : mardi 31 janvier 2023 à 22:08 | Modifiée : mardi 31 janvier 2023 à 22:08 | Vues 218 | Avis vérifiés

Présentation :

The Fekola Mine is located in southwest Mali, on the border between Mali and Senegal, approximately 500 km due west of the capital city, Bamako.

B2Gold acquired the world-class Fekola project through a merger with Papillon Resources Limited in October 2014. Led by core members of B2Gold’s construction team, early work activities at the Company’s fifth and largest mine began in February 2015. On September 25, 2017, the Company announced that it had completed construction of the Fekola mill and commenced ore processing, more than three months ahead of the original construction schedule and on budget. The first gold pour at the Fekola Mine took place on October 7, 2017. Within only 60 days from start-up, the mine achieved commercial production on November 30, 2017, one month ahead of the revised schedule and four months ahead of the original schedule. In September 2021, the Fekola Mine produced its two millionth ounce of gold, marking four years since it commenced production.

Compétences / Savoir-faire / Missions :

The Fekola Mine in Mali achieved another strong year in 2021, producing 567,795 ounces of gold, near the upper end of its revised guidance range (of between 560,000 - 570,000 ounces) and exceeding the upper end of its original guidance range (of between 530,000 - 560,000 ounces), due to significantly higher than budgeted mill throughput, partially offset by lower processed grade, as Fekola's low-grade stockpiles were used to supplement the additional unbudgeted mill feed required as a result of the significantly higher than budgeted processed tonnes.

For full-year 2021, Fekola's cash operating costs were $449 per ounce produced ($439 per ounce sold), slightly above the upper end of its guidance range (of between $405 - $445 per ounce). Fekola's higher than budgeted operating costs in 2021 resulted from inflation related fuel and consumable price increases, lower than budgeted capitalized waste stripping and higher than budgeted site general and camp costs related to COVID-19 mitigation measures, partially offset by higher than budgeted production.

Fekola's AISC for full-year 2021 were $765 per ounce sold (2020 - $599 per ounce sold), at the midpoint of its guidance range (of between $745 - $785 per ounce). 

After review of an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment by the Malian authorities, the existing Medinandi (Fekola) permit was updated to include the Cardinal zone, located within 500 metres of the current Fekola resource pit. On February 2, 2022, the Company announced an updated Mineral Resource estimate for the Cardinal zone which, as at December 31, 2021, included an initial Indicated Mineral Resource estimate of 8 million tonnes at 1.67 g/t gold for 430,000 ounces of gold, and an updated Inferred Mineral Resource estimate of 19 million tonnes at 1.21 g/t gold for 740,000 ounces of gold, constrained within a conceptual pit run at $1,800 per ounce gold. 

Initial mining operations at the Cardinal zone have commenced and will continue to ramp up in 2022. To December 31, 2021, 164,340 tonnes at an average grade of 1.66 g/t have been mined at Cardinal. For 2022, oxide mineralization within the Cardinal zone will be a low-cost source of mill feed for the Fekola Mine, with approximately 50,000 ounces budgeted to be produced from the Cardinal zone (included in the Fekola Mine's 2022 annual production guidance). Based on current engineering studies, the Cardinal zone has the potential to add an average of approximately 60,000 ounces per year to Fekola's annual gold production over the next 6 to 8 years. Exploration drilling at the Cardinal zone is ongoing and recent drill results have returned good gold grades over significant widths below the current resource which remains open at depth and along strike.

The low-cost Fekola Mine in Mali is expected to produce between 570,000 - 600,000 ounces of gold in 2022 at cash operating costs of between $510 - $550 per ounce and AISC of between $840 - $880 per ounce. Fekola's gold production is budgeted to be higher in 2022 (compared to 567,795 ounces produced in 2021) due to the optimization of the mining sequence to provide earlier access to high-grade ore from Phase 6 of the Fekola Pit as well as the ramping up of mining operations at the Cardinal zone (fully permitted and located within 500 metres of the current Fekola resource pit) primarily in the second half of 2022. As noted above, approximately 50,000 ounces is budgeted to be produced from the Cardinal zone in 2022 (and has been included in Fekola's 2022 annual production guidance). The potential to truck material from the nearby Anaconda Area (comprised of the Menankoto Permit and the Bantako North Permit) is currently being developed and is not included in Fekola's 2022 production guidance or the current Fekola life of mine plan. Preliminary planning by the Company has demonstrated that a pit situated on the Anaconda Area could provide saprolite material to be trucked to and fed into the Fekola mill commencing as early as late 2022, increasing the ore processed and annual gold production from the Fekola mill, subject to obtaining all necessary permits and completion of a final mine plan, with the potential to add an average of approximately 80,000 to 100,000 ounces per year to Fekola's annual gold production. In 2022, a total of $33 million has been budgeted to facilitate Phase 1 saprolite mining at the Anaconda Area. An updated Mineral Resource estimate based on the results from the extensive 2020 and 2021 infill and exploration drill program at the Anaconda Area is expected in the first quarter of 2022 and will include an initial Mineral Resource estimate for the sulphide materials below the existing saprolite resource. The Company plans on commencing a Phase II study for the Anaconda Area when the updated Mineral Resource estimate on the sulphide material becomes available and based on 2022 exploration drilling results to review the project economics of trucking sulphide material to the Fekola mill as compared to constructing another stand-alone mill near Anaconda.

Contacts :

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Société des Mines de Komana (SMK) SA

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