Côte d'Ivoire's Koné Gold Mine Completes First Gold Pour, Producing 1,140 Ounces

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 27, Montage Gold announced that its Koné Gold Mine in Côte d'Ivoire completed its first gold pour on September 26, producing approximately 1,140 ounces of gold in the initial batch. Since feeding ore into the oxide ore processing system on September 8, the project has processed more than 400,000 tonnes of ore. The oxide ore processing system is scheduled to complete ramp-up and reach commercial production in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Construction of the Koné project began in December 2024. Montage Gold disclosed in August this year that the main infrastructure and equipment required for oxide ore startup had been completed, including oxide ore crushing equipment, ball mill, classification system, thickener, carbon-in-leach system and related utilities, and dry commissioning had commenced following grid connection. The early deployment of the oxide ore processing system has further advanced the project's first gold production timeline.

Construction of the project's hard rock crushing and grinding system is still ongoing and is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2027. Under the current mining schedule, the Koné Main deposit has entered the mining phase, the higher-grade Gbongogo Main deposit is planned to begin mining by the end of 2026, and other newly discovered high-grade satellite deposits are expected to enter the mining schedule from 2027 onward.

The 2024 updated feasibility study established a probable reserve of 4.01 million ounces for the Koné Gold Mine at an average grade of 0.72 g/t, of which the Koné deposit accounts for 3.52 million ounces and the Gbongogo Main deposit accounts for 490,000 ounces. With subsequent exploration progress, as of June this year, the project's measured and indicated resources have increased to 6.29 million ounces with an average grade rising to 0.80 g/t; inferred resources have increased to 2.03 million ounces.

Montage Gold is currently implementing a 130,000-meter drilling program for 2026 at the Koné project. The company's existing project plan corresponds to a mine life of approximately 16 years, with planned annual gold production exceeding 300,000 ounces in the early years once production stabilizes. Upon completion of the hard rock processing system, the project will also integrate oxide ore and hard rock ore processing into a complete production system.