Gold Fields readies Salares Norte for crippling Atacama winter
GOLD Fields has taken an all-hands on deck approach to Salares Norte as it prepared the Chile mine in the event of an “extreme weather event”.The early onset of sub-zero weather in the Atacama in May last year froze process pipes and all but stopped the ramp-up of the $1.2bn project during the winter months.Gold Fields CEO Mike Fraser acknowledged last year the interruption was a blow to the group’s credibility. It contributed to a year-on-year reduction in production of just under 200,000 oz for the 2024 financial year.Commenting on preparations for Chile’s winter this year, the group said in an first quarter production update that following an operational review, additional heat tracing and other components had been installed at the mine, including pumps.“We have also focused on operational readiness, with the team running numerous simulation exercises and plant shutdowns to fine tune operational procedures should an extreme weather event occur,” said Fraser in the update.The last thing Gold Fields needs is a new interruption at Salares Norte especially as it has picked up a head of steam ahead of reaching annual design capacity of between 550,000 and 580,000 ounces in 2026. Salares Norte was on track to achieve gold output of 325,000 to 375,000 oz this year at an all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of $975 to $1,125/oz.That AISC falls dramatically to $825 to $875/oz at full production underlining the value of the asset.For the first quarter, Gold Fields reported first quarter production of 551,000 oz, a significant 19% improvement on the heavily interrupted performance of the first quarter last year, but 14% lower than the fourth quarter.Gold Fields’s Australian mines Gruyere and St Ives mines had a good quarter and so did South Deep, the group’s Johannesburg mine. “The mine is now in a much improved position and remains on track to meet its full-year guidance of 280,000 to 305,000 oz, said Gold Fields in its update.The post Gold Fields readies Salares Norte for crippling Atacama winter appeared first on Miningmx.Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com
Quelle: Mining.com
