Work continues on the Greenstone gold mine near Geraldton, Ontario, towards first gold by mid-2024. The project is a joint venture between Equinox Gold (TSX: EQX), which holds 60% and is the operator, and Orion Mine Finance (40%).
Construction was 90% complete at the end of September 2023. Almost all of the equipment has been installed on site and the piping, electrical and instrumentation teams are focusing on final connections, terminations and programming. Conveyors are being installed, the large primary crusher wall is complete and the cladding of the geodesic ore storage dome is nearing completion. Ore storage will commence at the end of 2023.
Pre-commissioning of part of the crushing circuit has commenced. Hot commissioning will commence in early 2024.
Equinox said the project reached an important milestone during the quarter with the commissioning of the natural gas-fired generators. Thermal energy recovered from the engines and a glycol distribution loop will provide heat to the process buildings and truck shop.
Work continues on the tailings management facilities.
Pre-production mining activities are ramping up in Q3 and have been running 24/7 since Q4 2022, with 12.2 million tonnes of material moved to date. By the end of this year, the fleet will consist of 14 Cat 793F/793 trucks, two Komatsu PC5500 shovels, one Komatsu LT-1850 loader, three Epiroc PV235 drills, four Komatsu 375 dozers and three Cat 16M graders.
The waste water treatment plant is operational. It discharged over 342,000 m3 of clean water in the third quarter and 1.4 million m3 for the year.
The Greenstone gold mine will commence production as an open pit and mill. It will later transition to underground mining. Proven and probable reserves of 135.3 million tonnes grading 1.27 g/t gold containing 5.5 million ounces of gold.
