Orinoco Gold poured the first gold from its flagship 70% owned Cascavel gold mine in central Brazil. This was a trial gold pour using some of the gold concentrate produced during the ongoing plant commissioning phase, derived from low-grade development material. The trial gold pour was designed to commission the gold furnace and test fluxing requirements for smelting.
The Cascavel gravity processing plant is now running on a 24-hour basis while continuing to process stockpiles of low-grade development material. Over the next few weeks, high-grade parcels of ore from production stopes will be processed and assayed as the company commences its production ramp-up.
Orinoco’s managing director, Mark Papendieck, said the first gold pour marked a huge milestone. “It marks the beginning our transition to commercial gold miner,” he said.