Mining commences at Vanguard open pit for Bellevue Gold
Konrad Forrest
Bellevue Gold provided an update on construction and development at its Bellevue Gold Project in WA. Open pit mining contractor NRW is now fully mobilised to the site. Mining has started at the Vanguard open pit and clearing is underway at the tailings storage facility (TSF). NRW is one of Australia’s leading mining contractors with significant experience in hard rock open pit mining and has all the required staff and equipment available for the Vanguard project. The contract, which includes mining of the Tribune boxcut, has a total value of ~$24m, which is in line with the pre-production capital expenditure forecast.
Mining at the Vanguard open pit will offer Bellevue the opportunity to generate early cash flow via a toll-treating arrangement. The pit is scheduled to provide approximately 10,000oz gold, which is expected to be available for processing in mid-2023, in advance of the forecast completion of the Bellevue processing facility. The Company is exploring toll treatment options with mining companies in the region and discussions are ongoing. Once mined, waste material from Vanguard will form the basis of the TSF.