West African gold explorer Tietto Minerals (ASX:TIE) is pleased to announce it has commenced wet commissioning for its 4.5 million tonnes per annum (tpa) carbon-in-leach (CIL) processing system at the Abujar Gold Project in Côte d’Ivoire.
The company says the first gold pour is expected to be completed within 10 days, and the construction of the project is reportedly on budget and schedule.
Tietto Minerals Managing Director Dr Caigen Wang says to build a gold mine the size of Abujar in less than 12 months is a monumental achievement.
“To do it during COVID with supply chain issues, escalated pricing and skilled people shortage made it, almost, mission impossible. Our in-house construction team has demonstrated it can be delivered through careful planning, diligent management and hard work.
“Our in-house construction team has demonstrated it can be delivered through careful planning, diligent management and hard work”
What a great team achievement led by the captain, our Chief Operating Officer Matthew Wilcox. I would like to thank our mine construction team, ESG team, mining team, contractors, and consultants, local communities, government authorities at various levels and many more.
We would also like to thank our shareholders who have put us into a position where we have no debt, zero hedging and are in a position to produce around 260,000 ounces in the first 12 months of production once we reach commercial production.”
Tietto Minerals Chief Operating Officer (COO) Matthew Wilcox says he is extremely proud of the team who have delivered the project in less than 11 months from pouring first concrete.
I believe this is the most challenging schedule for a project of this magnitude that has been achieved in the last decade in the last decade in West Africa. A schedule made possible by an outstanding owners’ team and a great team of contractors and consultants who achieved the job safely and on budget.
I would like to thank the construction team led by Daniel Kotzee, our outstanding engineering consultants in Primero and ECG, as well as our key contractors Wacom, Friedlander, NCP, EPSA, Peloton, and Emikon, as well as many other local contractors who all went above and beyond to achieve the schedule.
A great effort by the project’s commercial team, led by Hesbon Okwayo, who achieved an outstanding result under difficult global conditions, and supported by Antrak logistics and Bollore, who managed to get the equipment to site in the time frames required.”
Tietto forecasts Abujar will produce 260,000 ounces of gold in its first year of production, with the first gold pour expected within the next 10 days.
The company also states it is ‘uniquely’ positioned to advance its dual strategy of ‘Drill and Build’ which consists of driving resource growth at the project and increasing the gold production profile.
In addition to the gold production, Tietto aims to complete up to 120,000m of diamond drilling this year with a fleet of 8 rigs in operation and on track to deliver a resource update this quarter.
Tietto Minerals is a West African gold exploration company focused on developing the Abujar Gold Project in Côte d’Ivoire. Currently Abujar has a mine life of 11 years, with scope for the company to extend this with further near-mine and regional exploration success.
Images: Tietto Minerals Ltd
