Location and History
The Berezitovy gold mine is located in the Amur region of the Russian Federation, approximately 50 km north of Urusha (a town of 5,000 people) and is accessible via an all-season road, most of which is paved. The mine is located just 50 km from the Trans-Siberian railway and 100 km from Skovorodino railway station.
Commercial production began at the Berezitovy mine in 2007. The Berezitovy was acquired by Nordgold in late 2008, as part of the controlling interest in High River Gold. Nordgold currently holds a 100% interest in High River, which in turn holds a 99.91% interest in Berezitovy.
In 2016, Berezitovy produced 79.7 thousand ounces of gold.
Operating and Financial Highlights
| 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run of mine (kt) | 15,943 | 14,715 | 14,289 | 14,276 | 16,588 | 15,844 | 15,532 | |
| Waste mined (kt) | 15,239 | 13,605 | 12,868 | 12,217 | 14,598 | 14,086 | 13,693 | |
| Ore mined (kt) | 704 | 1,110 | 1,421 | 2,059 | 1,990 | 1,758 | 1,839 | |
| Stripping ratio (tn/tn) | 21.66 | 12.26 | 9.05 | 5.93 | 7.3 | 8.0 | 7.4 | |
| Ore processed (kt) | 1,481 | 1,684 | 1,898 | 1,741 | 1,635 | 1,391 | 1,050 | |
| Grade (g/t) | 1.72 | 2.23 | 2.26 | 2.20 | 2.50 | 2.62 | 2.22 | |
| Recovery (%) | 89.5 | 89.5 | 90.2 | 89.5 | 90.2 | 89.8 | 89.2 | |
| Gold production (koz) | 79.7 | 125.3 | 122.8 | 120.3 | 116.3 | 107.1 | 71.4 | |
| Gold sold (koz) | 79.5 | 129.5 | 118.5 | 120.1 | 116.4 | 107.0 | 73.0 | |
| Average realised gold price per ounce sold (US$/oz) | 1,234 | 1,158 | 1,263 | 1,372 | 1,663 | 1,553 | 1,235 | |
| Revenue (US$/m) | 98.1 | 150.0 | 149.6 | 164.8 | 193.6 | 166.2 | 90.1 | |
| EBITDA (US$/m) | 54.1 | 93.0 | 76.7 | 64.6 | 114.4 | 90.9 | 32.4 | |
| Total Cash Cost (US$/oz) | 538 | 430 | 572 | 783 | 625 | 591 | 713 | |
| AISC (US$/oz) | 869 | 617 | 713 | 888 | - | - | - |
Ore Reserves and Mineral Resources Summary (31 December 2015)
| Category | Ore (Kt) | Grade (g/t) | Au (Koz) |
|---|---|---|---|
| RESERVES | |||
| Proven and Probable | 7,769 | 1.59 | 396 |
| RESOURCES | |||
| Measured and Indicated | 9,328 | 1.60 | 481 |
| Inferred | 2,462 | 1.15 | 91 |
| Inferred Underground Resources | 208 | 1.85 | 12 |
| Total (M+I+I) | 11,998 | 1.51 | 584 |
For more information, please see Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves Press Release
Technology
The Berezitovy mine is a well-established open pit. The Berezitovy processing plant contains crushing, SAG and ball milling and CIP circuits, a tailings water filter plant and a dry tailings storage facility, a water reservoir and potable water wells located on the Khaikta River, sanitary landfills, a sewage treatment plant, mine water settling ponds. Berezitovy has recently expanded to include a heap leach operation to treat low-grade ore.
Milling and Classification
Cyanide leaching and sorption
Elution
Electrowinning
Smelting
2017 Deliveries
- To increase the ore mined volumes as the first ore is expected to be extracted from the Stage 3 cutback in the second quarter of 2017, replacing Stage 1 ore mining in the same quarter.
- Focus on throughput increase by modifying the crushing circuit and replacing the SAG mill coupling.
- Intensive drill the Khaikta anomalies that could provide additional resources for the Berezitovy mill if drilling confirms economic mineralisation.
- Commence underground development in 2017.