Classic Minerals’ customised gold plant is on its way to the company’s 404,000-ounce Forrestania gold project south of Southern Cross in WA, where final environmental approvals attached to its granted mining lease for 100 per cent-owned Kat Gap are now awaited.
Classic expects to have Kat Gap’s native vegetation clearance permit and approved final mining proposal documentation in its hands within three months. The latter includes its mine closure plan.
The last approval stamps from the WA Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, or “DMIRS” will allow an immediate mining and production start at Kat Gap, about 170km south of Southern Cross, where Classic has a JORC resource of nearly 93,000 ounces going an average 2.96 grams per tonne.
Classic Chairman John Lester said: “Having now lodged applications for the final government approvals required prior to the commencement of mining operations at our flagship Kat Gap gold project, the company continues to meet the key milestones required to transform Classic from an explorer to a miner.”
Commencement of ore processing at Kat Gap is expected to be seamless due to Classic’s purchase of a Gekko Systems’ modular gold plant that left Perth this week after assembly and successful commissioning at a site in the WA capital city’s north.
The 30 tonnes per hour, two-stage gravity concentration plant is said to be well-suited to Kat Gap’s ore and its high gravity gold content, which should underwrite low-cost gold production and high recoveries. The compact plant can be located next to the mine to minimise haulage and processing costs.
Gekko’s 30tph plant can also be readily expanded into its 250tph “Python” gravity separation and flotation plant.
The Australian-made gold plants have been employed at sites around the world.
Classic has inferred and indicated resources at Forrestania totalling 8.24 million tonnes grading 1.52 g/t for 403,906 ounces of gold, including the Kat Gap resource.
After it starts generating cash flow from gold production, Classic will be well placed to increase the tempo of exploration in an under-explored part of the WA goldfields.
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