Westgold Resources Limited has issued an update in relation to the expansion of its Bluebird Mine and confirmed that its expansion plan is on track.
According to the company, it now has three rigs now operational at the site, with a second surface diamond drilling rig to be mobilised to accelerate the testing of the greater Bluebird – South Junction opportunity.
The Bluebird underground mine and Paddy’s Flat underground mine are the two primary ore sources feeding the 1.6 to 1.8 million tonnes per annum Bluebird processing plant.
Open pit surface stockpiles and intermittent ore from the nearby Cue processing plant can also be trucked to Bluebird to maintain processing throughputs.
Bluebird and South Junction historically produced more than 1 million ounces of gold from shallow open pits and small-scale underground workings with a known mineral endowment over 3,000 ounces per vertical metre.
The increase in Bluebird’s output is attributable to the impact of ongoing resource drilling increasing the mine’s footprint and the development of a second decline to open additional work areas within the existing mine footprint.
The results from drilling indicate that Bluebird is strongly mineralised at its currently known extent and that the broader system remains open in all directions.
The results will also inform the next stage of expansion planning designed to increase the scale of the mine to an extensive, yet lightly drilled, high-grade system.
Westgold Managing Director Wayne Bramwell said the company’s operational team has nearly doubled the monthly mining rate from the asset in the previous year, adding that the production record achieved in April is a credit to their efforts.
“Our confidence in this system continues to build and with three drill rigs extending the mine and defining the South Junction opportunity, Westgold is now accelerating the next stage of expansion for this asset,” he added.
