Hummingbird Resources is installing a second ball mill at its Yanfolila gold mine in southern Mali to increase plant throughput capacity from 1.24 million metric tons per year (mt/y) to 1.4 million mt/y when processing a blend of ore types. When processing 100% fresh ore, throughput capacity will increase from 1 million mt/y to 1.24 million mt/y.
The second mill is scheduled to become operational in the third quarter of 2019. Capital expenditures for the project are budgeted at about $13 million.
The Yanfolila crushing circuit is currently a two-stage operation incorporating both primary and secondary crushing to treat a blend of oxide and harder ores. The original project plan was to add a tertiary crushing circuit to allow the plant to process 100% hard fresh ore later in the mine life. However, annual throughput was expected to decrease from 1.24 million to 1 million mt/y when operating with 100% fresh ore, which led to a drop-in life-of-mine average production to 107,000 ounces per year (oz/y) from 130,000 oz in the first full year of commercial production.
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