Vertex Minerals (ASX:VTX) has bought an Aramine L350D loader which will be included into the underground fleet at the Reward Gold Mine in New South Wales.
The loader is designed for small size gold mining and Vertex says is considered to be “very powerful” with a 4 tonne carrying and loading capacity.
Vertex, which has a market capitalisation of $57 million, says this purchase enables the company to undertake long hole stoping, which requires the loader to operate in unsupported ground.
The loader is expected to arrive within eight weeks.
Mining Engineer Declan Franzmann says the purchase of the loader provides the flexibility to mine wider stopes using modern mining techniques.
“The inclusion of ore sorting in the process flow sheet provides Vertex with the ability to improve the economics of mining quartz stockwork style mineralisation, which is evident at the Reward Gold Mine,” Franzmann says.
Engineering staff are also exploring the areas of the mine above the 640 amalgamated level, which will eventually only be accessible via an incline ramp for access with jumbos and loaders.
The company says this represents an opportunity for mining wider stopes than the 1.5m wide stopes envisaged in the Prefasibility Study.
Vertex Minerals is an Australian gold-focused explorer. The company is aiming to discover and develop the next generation of multi-million-ounce gold deposits within the New South Wales and Western Australian goldfields region.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Vertex Minerals
