The ramp-up of the first production line of the processing plant is advancing at the Detour Lake open pit gold mine about 150 kilometres north of Cochrane.
The first production line started with low-grade material in January, and was followed by ore grade material.
The ramp-up of the first production line is progressing with the SAG mill, the pebble crusher, and the ball mill, which are all in operation. After close to one month of operation, the fundamental parts of the circuits are operating well. Next step will be the startup of the secondary crusher to increase throughput.
The gold inventory (in CIP and electrowinning) has been increasing in the circuit since startup. It is expected to reach the level required to allow the first gold pour in mid-February.
In parallel, the electrical and instrumentation work on the second production line is progressing well and startup is expected in March.
Mining rates continue to increase and are scheduled to reach 150,000 tpd in early 2013. The fourth shovel was commissioned in December, 2012. Currently, Detour Gold has a mining fleet of 20 haul trucks and four shovels, which more than meets the requirements of the 2013 mining operation.
“A start-up is never easy and we are experiencing typical challenges as we proceed with the ramp-up of the Detour Lake gold mine," said Gerald Panneton, president and CEO in a press release.”
For 2013, the company's guidance remains unchanged -- gold production ranging between 350,000 and 400,000 ounces, and total cash costs of between $800/oz and $900/oz (to be reported after commercial production is declared).
The Detour Lake open pit mine is expected to produce an average of 657,000 ounces of gold annually over a period of 21.5 years.
