OZ Minerals Limited has issued its quarterly report for the first quarter, saying the company saw solid performance from all operations during the period.
According to the company, production during the quarter was at 31,362 tonnes of copper and 46,722 ounces of gold, despite a lower feed grade profile at Prominent Hill.
Underground operations delivered 1.2 metric tonnes of ore at 1.31 per cent copper at Prominent Hill, with OZ Minerals saying ore production for the quarter was enabled by a diversity of ore sources, including the successful extraction of a stope in the west wall of the open pit.
The company reported a plant recovery of 89 per cent for copper, while the gold recovery was at 72 per cent, lower than the previous quarter due to the impacts of a lower gold feed grade resulting from the deferral of a high-grade gold stope into the second quarter.
At its Carrapateena site, the company saw the production of 15,080 tonnes of copper and 19,868 ounces of gold during the quarter.
Concentrator throughput totalled 1,080 kilotonnes milled, with copper and gold recoveries of 93 per cent and 86 per cent respectively.
The Carajas East province site recorded 162 kilotonnes of ore mined from underground operations at 1.88 per cent copper, in addition to the production of 3,207 tonnes of copper and 2,638 ounces of gold for the quarter.
During the quarter, OZ Minerals shareholders voted in favour of the scheme of arrangement in which BHP Lonsdale Investments Pty Limited will acquire 100 per cent of the shares of OZ Minerals.
OZ Minerals Managing Director and CEO Andrew Cole said the first quarter has seen solid performance from all operations, with group copper production of 31,362 tonnes of copper and 46,722 ounces of gold, despite a lower feed grade profile at Prominent Hill.
He added that expansion projects at Brownfield and Carrapateena are continuing, while early construction activities at West Musgrave have progressed safely.
