SilverCrest Metals Inc. (TSX:SIL) is making strong progress with commissioning activities at the company’s Las Chispas Mine in Sonora, Mexico.
Highlights
- Processing plant metallurgical recovery and daily throughput are trending ahead of Feasibility Study ramp-up projections; For August 2022, actual average recovery of 96.2% gold (Au) and 85.6% silver (Ag), or 90.7% silver equivalent (AgEq) and average tonnage throughput of 784 tonnes per day (tpd) were achieved
- Project fully energised by grid power; reliability not at steady state but expected to improve in Q4, 2022
- Underground in-vein and waste development continue to track Feasibility Study projections, production stoping underway and ramping up
- Underground mine ramping up to 600 to 700 tpd by end of 2022 compared to 750 tpd in the Feasibility Study; continued focus on dilution and ore recovery
- First metal sale expected in Q3, 2022, commercial production on schedule for Q4, 2022
- Community efforts advanced with key 2022 projects approaching completion
- Well-funded ahead of first full year of production in 2023
- Updated Technical Report remains on schedule for H1, 2023
“Starting up a new mining operation is a dynamic period, and our team and contractors continue to navigate and address mostly typical ramp-up issues,” COO, Pierre Beaudoin, said.
“Overall, we are pleased with the performance of the processing plant to date. Metal recoveries, plant throughput and the availability of the plant itself have generally tracked favourably when compared to the expectations outlined in the Feasibility Study.
“The project continues to benefit from the sizable surface stockpiles which have allowed the underground operation to be ramped up at a measured pace.”
Processing Plant and Stockpile
During the first three months of commissioning, the Las Chispas processing plant has performed in-line or ahead of the design curve on all metrics. Throughput, recoveries, and plant availability have all shown month over month improvements.
A total of 53,600 tonnes of material have been processed since start-up with August 2022 average throughput of 784 tpd, up 46% from July 2022 as shown in Figure 1. It is still expected that the design plant throughput of 1,250 tpd will be reached in Q4, 2022. Grades to the plant have remained low during the initial months of processing as most ore continues to be intentionally sourced from historic low-grade stockpiles.
Recoveries are tracking ahead of the planned ramp-up projections with August 2022 recoveries averaging 96.2% Au and 85.6% Ag or 90.7% AgEq as compared to the August 2022 ramp-up projection of 81.5% AgEq.
Plant availability has continued to increase since the start of commissioning, with availability in August 2022 of 81%, up from 65% in June 2022.
For further information please visit: https://www.silvercrestmetals.com/
