Australian junior Pacgold on Thursday announced first gold production at the White Dam project in South Australia, marking its transition from explorer to producer.
Initial production from the recommissioned heap leach operation has yielded about 2 kg, or roughly 60 oz, of gold from the first 14 days of processing.
Pacgold said the initial production represented only a small portion of gold already leached into the system, with further recovery expected as operations ramped up.
Three additional strip cycles were planned before the company produced its first doré bars for smelting, shipment and sale later this month.
The plant has undergone significant refurbishment, including upgrades to carbon-in-column (CIC) tanks, power generation systems and gold recovery circuits.
The company has also started rrigation of re-crushed ore, with the crushing circuit currently producing about 1 500 t/d as it ramps up toward a targeted throughput of 80 000 t to 90 000 t a month.
Pacgold noted that plant performance had improved significantly, with four of the five main CIC tanks operating at more than 95% efficiency.
In parallel with ramp-up activities, Pacgold is advancing plans to expand the heap leach pad, with engineering work under way to add about four-million tonnes of additional leaching capacity.
The company expects design work to be completed by July, after which construction planning will begin.
Pacgold is also progressing resource definition work at the nearby Vertigo deposit and preparing for further exploration drilling, subject to permitting approvals.
The company said its immediate focus remained on ramping up production and generating cash flow from the existing operation, as it buildt toward full-scale production targeted for 2027.