Equinox Gold Reaches Commercial Production at Valentine Mine
Mining News | 2025-11-19 11:18:33
The company y expects Valentine to deliver into the higher end of its Q4 production range of 15,000 to 30,000 ounces of gold.
By Paul Ploumis
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Equinox Gold Corp. has officially transitioned its wholly owned Valentine Gold Mine in Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada, into commercial production, marking a key advancement for the company’s domestic growth strategy.
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Equinox Gold’s President and CEO Darren Hall described the achievement as a significant operational milestone, noting that the site has surpassed expectations during the commissioning phase. He praised the team for delivering a safe and rapid production ramp-up ahead of schedule, highlighting strong plant performance with impressive availability, throughput and recovery rates.
According to the company’s update, the processing facility handled an average of 5,451 tonnes per day over the past two months, equivalent to 80% of its designed capacity, while achieving more than 93% gold recovery on commissioning ore averaging 1.2 g/t gold. With continued improvements underway, the mine is forecast to meet the upper end of its fourth-quarter output projection of 15,000–30,000 ounces of gold. The project is expected to reach full nameplate capacity by Q2 2026, targeting annual production between 150,000 and 200,000 ounces.
Looking ahead, Equinox Gold is moving forward with Phase 2 expansion studies, which evaluate increasing mill capacity to 5 million tonnes per year, effectively doubling current nameplate throughput.
POLL
How significant is Equinox Gold’s commercial production milestone at the Valentine Mine?
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where is the Valentine Mine located?
The mine is situated in Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada.
- How has the mine performed since commissioning began?
Over the past two months, the plant averaged 5,451 tonnes per day—about 80% of nameplate capacity—and achieved more than 93% gold recovery.
- What is the long-term production target?
Annual output is estimated between 150,000 and 200,000 ounces of gold in 2026.
