Vancouver – A sulphide expansion project launched by Golden Star Resources (GSS-T, GSS-X) at the Bogoso/Prestea gold mine is ahead of schedule and poised to become the largest operating bio-oxidation plant of its kind in the world.
Golden Star holds a 90% interest in the Bogoso/Prestea and Wassa open-pit gold mines in southwest Ghana, with the balance held by the government of Ghana. The company also holds an 81% interest in the past-producing but current inactive Prestea underground mine, and various exploration properties in West Africa and the Guiana Shield of South America.
The US$125-million sulphide expansion project will boost total capacity at Bogoso-Prestea to 5 million tonnes per year from 1.5 million tonnes currently processed solely at the existing oxide plant. The new sulphide plant will use the BIOX bio-oxidation process marketed by a subsidiary of Gold Fields Limited and used at 11 gold mine projects world-wide. Once completed, it will be the largest such plant operating in the world.
Golden Star had expected to commission the new plant in the fourth quarter, but with construction ahead of schedule and on budget, the commissioning date has been pushed forward to the third quarter.
Pre-stripping of the sulphide pits to create a stockpile of transitional and sulphide ore for the new plant is under way, with about 800,000 tonnes expected to be in the stockpiled by the end of September.
Golden Star produced 200,968 oz. gold in 2005, and expects to boost this to 300,000 oz. this year, and 500,000 oz. for 2007. At year-end 2005, the company had an estimated 4.05 million oz. gold in reserves, 200% more than resources (in all categories), all within trucking distance of the processing complex.
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