THUNDER BAY – MINING – Equinox Gold Corp. (TSX: EQX) (NYSE American: EQX) is pleased to provide an update on commissioning progress at its Greenstone Project in Ontario, Canada.
The Greenstone Project is being developed as a 60/40 partnership, respectively, by Equinox Gold and Orion Mine Finance Group and will be one of the largest gold mines in Canada, producing approximately 400,000 ounces of gold annually for the first five years and more than five million ounces of gold over its initial 14-year mine life.
Ore was introduced into the grinding circuit on April 6, with first gold pour expected in May. More than 1.5 million tonnes of ore have been stockpiled and 70,000 tonnes of low-grade ore has been pre-crushed to use for early commissioning feed. Progressively higher-grade ore will be fed into the mill as production ramps up toward planned throughput of 27,000 tonnes per day, with commercial production targeted for Q3 2024.
Greg Smith, President & CEO of Equinox Gold, comments, “Following 2.5 years of construction, Greenstone is on schedule to commence gold production in the first half of the year, as planned. This is a significant achievement and a testament to the experience of the Greenstone team. Greenstone is a world-class asset, and reaching production will be a pivotal milestone for Equinox Gold. Once operating at full capacity, Greenstone will be our largest and lowest cost-mine. We look forward to first gold in May and continuing to advance the project to commercial production.”
Commissioning of the plant began earlier this year, initially with the crushing circuit and ore storage dome, followed by the high-pressure grinding rolls (HPGR), ball mill #1, and thickener and leach tanks. Flocculant and lime were loaded into the system during the last week of March and the full system was water tested during the first week of April. The equipment is working as expected and ball mill #2 will be brought online in the coming weeks as throughput is progressively increased. Hiring is on track with more than 400 positions filled, and all senior plant operators are on board.
Greenstone has worked 6.4 million hours project to date with one lost-time injury.
