en.Wedoany.com Reported - Kavango Resources (LON: KAV) has commenced commissioning of a 50-tonne-per-day processing plant at its Hillside Gold Project in Zimbabwe, transitioning the project from the construction phase to actual processing operations.

Since July 1, material has been processed through crushing, milling, gravity concentration, and carbon-in-leach (CIL) circuits, with all feed sourced from the company's Hillside operations, including both stockpiled and freshly milled gold-bearing sands. Between July 18 and July 28, the plant achieved an average capacity utilisation rate of 69%, with testwork confirming that gold has been successfully adsorbed in the CIL circuit.

Chairman Donald McAlister stated that the company's immediate priority is to safely and methodically complete plant commissioning, optimise plant performance, and establish stable processing operations. Knowledge gained during this phase will support future plans to expand processing capacity and accelerate production growth at the Hillside Gold Project.

The company has also established an on-site laboratory equipped with bottle-roll, fire assay, and atomic absorption spectroscopy analytical capabilities to support plant optimisation, mining, and exploration activities.

This proof-of-concept plant is designed to validate Kavango's processing flowsheet, providing the basis for a larger commercial expansion. The Bill's Luck underground deposit hosts JORC-compliant mineral resources of 33,900 ounces at a grade of 2.68 grams per tonne gold, while metallurgical testwork indicates expected operational recovery rates of 90% to 93% under commercial conditions.

Kavango stated that further updates are expected as commissioning progresses, including the achievement of first gold pour and completion of the commissioning phase.