Brightstar Resources reported on 9 September 2026 that construction of its 100%-owned Goldfields Project processing plant near Laverton, Western Australia, continued to advance through August. The company said the project remained within its approved budget and on schedule for first gold in June 2027.
Plant construction moves into installation phase
Bulk earthworks for the raw-water and process-water ponds have been completed, while work continues on non-process infrastructure and an extension to the run-of-mine pad. Concrete work is progressing across the primary crusher, SAG mill and thickener areas.
Concrete for the carbon-in-leach circuit has been completed, allowing the tank installation team to begin work ahead of schedule. The first item of mechanical equipment, a vibrating screen, arrived at site in August. Borefield drilling and casing are also continuing, with pipework being installed to connect the water supply to the plant.
Mining readiness work advances
Underground mining at Second Fortune has concluded and the mine has moved to care and maintenance after six years without a lost-time injury. Brightstar has accumulated about 50,000 tonnes of stockpiled ore grading 3.1 grams per tonne gold, containing approximately 5,000 ounces, for use during the plant ramp-up.
Planning for the Lord Byron open pit is continuing, with infrastructure work scheduled to start in October and mobilisation targeted for the December 2026 quarter. Preparations for near-term activity at Lord Byron and the Fish underground mine are being integrated with the processing-plant construction program.
Next construction milestones
Brightstar’s September program includes completing concrete across the crushing, surge-bin, grinding and classification areas; starting carbon-in-leach tank platework; erecting the first structural steel; and continuing borefield pipe installation.
The Goldfields Project is planned to produce about 75,000 ounces of gold a year from the 2028 financial year over an initial six-year mine life. Brightstar is also assessing mine-life extensions and a possible increase in plant throughput to 2.5 million tonnes a year.
The simultaneous construction, equipment-installation and mining-readiness work indicates an active project-delivery phase. It may support workforce planning across construction, fixed plant, commissioning and mine operations as the project moves towards production, although Brightstar has not announced specific vacancies in this release.
Source: Brightstar Resources Limited, “Goldfields Project Construction Update”, 9 September 2026.