Gold Fields Delayed First Gold Output at Salares Norte, Chile
The mechanical construction of the project is almost complete at 99.3%.
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Gold Fields Limited has updated the schedule of production of first gold from the Salares Norte Project in Chile’s Atacama region.
According to media release issued by the company, the project has been impacted by delays in pre-commissioning and commissioning activities. The tentative date for first gold production has now been postponed to April 2024. Also, the production volumes for 2024 have been revised down and are now expected to range between 220,000 and 250,000 gold equivalent ounces.
The project is expected to deliver steady production by beginning of 2025. As a result, it has kept the planned production volumes for 2025 and 2026 unchanged at around 600,000 gold equivalent ounces per annum.
The mechanical construction of the project is almost complete at 99.3%. Nearly 520,000 gold equivalent ounces have been stockpiled till date.
Gold Fields had initially planned to produce first gold from the project by December this year, but has been delayed due to several reasons, including lack of personnel by primary contractor and late configuration changes put forward by OEMs.
The company announced that it plans to appoint independent project and commissioning specialists to review and validate the remaining schedule to full commissioning, who will be responsible for reviewing and verifying the schedule and plan.