Rox Resources (ASX:RXL) is preparing to mine the next portals and transition to underground dewatering at its Youanmi Gold Mine, 82km southwest of Sandstone in Western Australia’s Murchison region.
The main open pit has been dewatered, and pumps have kept both the historic decline and the pit floor visible.
An initial borehole will be drilled to allow dewatering of underground workings. Once the underground water is fully pumped out, mining activity will begin.
Processing plant bulk earthworks are also underway. The mine development and closure proposal has been approved, contractors have been mobilised to the site, and the bulk earthworks to the processing plant facility have commenced. The main pit power station has been installed and is ready for commissioning.
“With the transition to dewatering of the underground workings underway, the Main and Pollard declines will begin imminently, marking the start of our second underground mining operation at Youanmi,” Rox Managing Director and CEO Phill Wilding says.
“In parallel to this on-site activity, we are also advancing major contracts for Youanmi while preparing for diamond drilling to begin later in the month.”
Development is expected to start in both declines in late May, with machinery due on-site halfway through the month. Interquip is likewise expected to mobilise to the site in late May.
Works to re-establish pit floor access are well-advanced, with ramp sheeting in progress. New access to the Main portal and Pollard portal is being prepared.
Face protection mesh has now been installed as part of ongoing face support works, preparing the site for development jumbo access.
All accommodation village buildings are on-site, with works underway to prepare for commissioning. This will be followed by the installation of new pathways and other upgrades to the camp.
An additional 300 rooms have been delivered, bringing the total from the historic camp to 51. These include 180 permanent high-spec rooms, 120 new temporary construction rooms, and a dry mess facility.
Tenders are under review for the processing and administration offices and associated facilities. Borefields drilling has also begun to increase available water for future operational requirements.
Power provider Pacific Energy has been selected as the contractor for a Build Own Operate (BOO) power station. The project involves constructing a 27-megawatt (MW) thermal power generator with 26MW of solar power capacity and a 9.3-megavolt-ampere battery.
Rox Resources is a gold developer with assets primarily in Western Australia.
Write to Richard Szabo at Mining.com.au
Images: Rox Resources
