Meeka Metals has lifted its Murchison Gold Project processing plant to its targeted steady-state throughput, with the company reporting consistent operation at an annualised rate of about 600,000 tonnes a year through July and August 2026.
The milestone moves the Western Australian operation into its next optimisation phase as Meeka completes installation of an ore-sorting circuit designed to lift the grade delivered to the mill and create room for additional underground ore.
Plant reaches steady-state target
Meeka said the plant achieved an annualised throughput rate of 630,000 tonnes in August following a program of debottlenecking across the crushing circuit, material-handling system and mill-feed chute. The company expects the plant to continue operating at about 600,000 tonnes a year.
The progress follows commissioning of the Andy Well processing facility and the start of gold production in July 2025. Meeka's broader Murchison plan combines open-pit and underground ore sources around a central processing hub.
Ore sorter set for October commissioning
Installation of the ore sorter is well advanced, with commissioning expected to begin in early October 2026. Around 50,000 tonnes of Andy Well underground development ore has already been stockpiled in preparation.
The sorter is intended to separate higher-grade material for immediate treatment from lower-grade material that can be processed later in the mine life. Meeka expects the circuit to approximately double the head grade of Andy Well ore entering the mill and allow as much as 800,000 tonnes a year of run-of-mine material to be handled through the existing 600,000-tonne-a-year mill.
That additional flexibility is expected to free processing capacity for ore from the planned Turnberry underground mine, which is scheduled to commence during the September 2026 quarter.
Operational focus shifts to optimisation
Managing Director Tim Davidson said achieving the targeted throughput had taken longer than anticipated, but the plant was now operating consistently at that level. The operational team is finalising the sorter installation before moving into commissioning with the development ore already stockpiled.
For Meeka, the combination of stable mill throughput and ore sorting is designed to improve feed quality, increase flexibility between underground sources and support a higher volume of run-of-mine material without expanding the core milling circuit.
Project snapshot
The Murchison Gold Project is located in Western Australia's Murchison goldfields. Meeka owns the project and is advancing a production plan centred on the Andy Well processing plant and a pipeline of open-pit and underground ore sources.
Source: Meeka Metals ASX announcement, 2 September 2026. Hero image: Meeka Metals, Murchison Gold Project.