(Ecofin Agency) – Commissioned in 2023, Séguéla is an open-air mine located in Worodougou, 500 km from Abidjan. Its annual production capacity currently estimated at 133,000 ounces on average, and its lifespan of 7 years do not take into account the mine’s underground mineral resources.
Fortuna Mining plans to complete a 12,000 meter drilling program at the Sunbird deposit, located on its Séguéla gold mine in Ivory Coast, in the first half of 2025. This work will lead to studies aimed at evaluating the potential of the deposit for underground exploitation, according to a press release published Monday, December 16 by the Canadian company.
Drilling carried out over the past two years has already revealed 404,000 ounces of indicated and inferred mineral resources at the underground extension of the Sunbird deposit. The objective of the announced studies is therefore to assess whether the growth of the underground resources of the deposit, combined with the significant potential of the underground extensions of other deposits (Koula, Ancien), can support underground exploitation at Séguéla.
The Séguéla mining plan, designed as an open-cast mine, does not provide for underground mining methods, and the addition of underground deposits could therefore extend the life of the mine or increase its production capacity. Entering production in May 2023, Séguéla can deliver an average of 133,000 ounces annually during the first six years of operation. The mine has a life of seven years, based on ore reserves as of October 31, 2024.
While Ivory Coast wants to double its gold production in the next five years, the use of new deposits, such as the underground resources of Séguéla, could contribute to this. In 2023, Ivorian gold production reached 51 tonnes.
Emiliano Tossou
Also read:
11/12/2024 – Ivory Coast: Fortuna Mining has already discovered 19 tonnes of gold in Séguéla in 2024
Related News :