en.Wedoany.com Reported - Australia's Larvotto Resources (ASX:LRV) has initiated the staged commissioning of the mineral processing facility at its Hillgrove Mine in New South Wales, with the first ore entering the fine ore bin, ready for feed to the grinding circuit.

Ore from the Metz underground mine is currently being used for commissioning activities in the crushing circuit, which includes primary jaw crushing, closed-circuit secondary crushing, and fine ore storage.

Managing Director Ron Heeks stated that this milestone reflects the "significant" progress made over the past 12 months since the plant refurbishment began last year.

"Reaching this stage is a tremendous achievement by our operations team and construction contractor Interquip, demonstrating execution quality, particularly under the unique (and ongoing) challenges posed by the Hormuz conflict on equipment deliveries," Heeks said.

Hillgrove will become Australia's second and largest antimony-producing mine. Under the plan, over a seven-year mine life, the mine is expected to produce approximately 4,900 tonnes of antimony and over 40,000 ounces of gold annually.

Metallurgical test work is also underway, aimed at producing a tungsten concentrate to unlock additional economic value from the deposit.

Larvotto Resources is in discussions with the New South Wales Government, the Australian Government, and other foreign governments regarding potential mid-stream concentrate refining opportunities.

Additionally, the company's fifth modification application is progressing through the state assessment process. This application seeks to double processing capacity from 250,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) to 500,000 tpa and transition to dry tailings storage. Larvotto stated that it plans to submit responses to stakeholder queries by the end of July.

Larvotto Resources is advancing its portfolio of mineral projects across New South Wales and Australia.