[source: Hummingbird Resources]
The gold development and exploration company Hummingbird Resources (HUM ) said the development and construction of the Kouroussa Gold Mine in Guinea continues to advance rapidly and remains on track to achieve the scheduled first gold pour by the end of 2Q23.
Hummingbird has recently received assay results on a further 86 Reverse Circulation (“RC”) and 12 diamond holes on the high-grade Koekoe (“KK”) deposit at Kouroussa, delivering approximately 9,900 metres (“m”) of the Company’s c.24,000m infill 2021 drilling programme.
The focus of the programme has been to convert current in-pit inferred material to indicated and build upon the extensive historical drilling to expand the life of mine and reserves base.
The Company is now awaiting the final c.3,600m of assays, which are expected to be received soon and will conclude the 2021 Kouroussa drilling results to be received.
These assays, alongside additional results from the Kouroussa and Yanfolila drilling programmes, will feed into the Hummingbird’s updated 2022 Resources and Reserves statement which is expected to be released in the second quarter of the financial year.
Civil works have now begun at Korussa, with earthworks nearing completion at the processing plant, following which mine camp site areas will allow for cement foundation works to begin. Foundation concrete and steel reinforcement work is also taking place to install CIL tanks.
Hummingbird said the mine camp for construction personnel is now operational, allowing for the Company to have more construction personnel on site, with over 350 construction, administrative and security personnel in place for the overall construction process.
At the processing plant, the fabrication of the CIL tanks have commenced on-site and are rapidly advancing towards completion. Structural, mechanical, and piping works are expected to begin following the completion of foundation works at the process plant area, it explained.
Additionally, construction equipment, tooling, machinery, personnel, and consumables continue to arrive on-site and are in position for the next phase of the overall build process.
The Company said the power plant and mining contractor contracts are in the final stages of negotiation and are expected to be awarded soon. Detailed community engagement is also taking place with its on-site health, safety, environmental and community (“HSEC”) teams.
Commenting, Dan Betts, CEO of Hummingbird Resources, told investors: “We are rapidly advancing into the next phase of the Kouroussa build process with civil works now underway. We remain focused on delivering Kouroussa on schedule and on budget for a first gold pour by the end of Q2 2023, which will then more than double our current production profile.”
He acknowledged that the 2021 Kouroussa drilling programme continues to deliver results that highlight the significant gold endowment Hummingbird already has at Kouroussa.
“Our geology team has also identified thicker mineralisation zones and shallower dipping westerly zones than originally believed, which is a positive for future mining at Kouroussa.
These results continue to be analysed and incorporated into our updated Company Resources and Reserves statement, which is expected to be released at the end of 2Q.”
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