Equinox Gold Corp. reported that its Santa Luz gold mine in Brazil achieved commercial production effective October 1, 2022. The Santa Luz mill is operating at approximately 90% of design capacity of 7,400 metric tons per day (mt/d), with recoveries consistently above 70% and ranging up to 85%. Approximately 23,000 ounces (oz) of gold have been produced to September 30, 2022, and gold production is expected to continue to increase through the fourth quarter of 2022.
“Santa Luz is our fourth operating mine in Brazil and represents 100,000 oz of average annual production with mine life extension potential from near-mine surface targets, an underground deposit, and additional opportunities in the 70-km-long mineralized greenstone belt that hosts our Santa Luz and Fazenda mines,” Equinox President and CEO Greg Smith said. “We thank the Santa Luz team for their dedication and hard work to achieve this commercial production milestone and celebrate their exemplary safety record, working more than 4.3 million hours since the start of construction with no lost-time injuries.”
