ASX-listed Classic Minerals has achieved another significant milestone on the way to production start-up in the form of a native title agreement over the mining area at its developing Kat Gap gold project about 170km south of Southern Cross in WA. The Perth-based company says it has now executed a Noongar Alternative Heritage Agreement with the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council, representing the Ballardong Agreement Group.
Classic Minerals says it expects to pour first gold at Kat Gap by the end of August this year.
According to the company, gravity and conventional cyanide leach processing through a purpose-built Gekko plant has delivered recoveries of 95-96 per cent from both fresh and oxide ore samples.
Kat Gap hosts an inferred resource of 975,722 tonnes at an average grade of 2.96 grams per tonne gold for 92,856 ounces of contained gold.
Classic Minerals Chairman, John Lester said: “We are excited to enter into this agreement with Ballardong Agreement Group, a group who we respect, and we have a strong relationship with. We believe this agreement lays the strongest foundation for the Kat Gap mining project and allows the company to proceed whilst respecting the heritage and culture of the area.”
Classic’s native title agreement follows the successful assembly, testing and commissioning of the Gekko plant, which has a current ore throughput capacity of 30 tonnes per hour and is scalable to a processing capacity of 250 tonnes per hour.
Small parcels of ore were put through the plant at a test site in Perth.
The plant will now be moved to Kat Gap and JT Metallurgical Services Pty Ltd, which undertook the testing and commissioning work, will continue to manage the ore processing at the mine site.
Mr Lester said: “We remain on track to construct and mine at full capacity by the end of July 2021.”
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By Matt Birney
