WITH the recommencement of the Didipio Mine operation in the upland town of Kasibu in Nueva Vizcaya, the company is progressing ahead of plan, according to Scott Sullivan, OceanaGold chief operating officer and acting chief executive officer.

Sullivan noted that in August, they successfully exported and sold the remaining gold ore while also commencing the transport of gold-copper concentrate inventory stored on site.

“The company expects approximately 80 percent of the concentrate to be transported to the port by the end of the third quarter and entirely transported by midOctober,” he said.

The gold-copper concentrate inventory totaled approximately 15,000 dry metric tons, which contained approximately 18,500 ounces of gold and 3,500 tons of copper, and had nearly 1,100

ounces of gold in Doré, which was sold in the third quarter.

The company also said the transportation of supplies and equipment to the Didipio Mine site have progressed well with the process plant recommissioning, which is over one-third complete with restart activities including installation of a new ball mill motor, ongoing recommissioning of the crusher, recharge of grinding media, and testing and commissioning of plant instrumentation and pumping equipment.

It said upon restart of underground mining operations, mill feed will be progressively supplemented by higher grade underground ore.

Underground mining restart activities include the rehiring and training of underground operators, which is progressing to plan and expects to ramp-up to the full underground production rate of 1.6 million tons per annum within 10 months.

For the rest of 2021, the company expects to produce between 5,000 and 10,000 ounces of gold along with approximately 1,000 tons of copper.

“The company expects Didipio gold sales for 2021 to range between 23,000 and 28,000 ounces of gold and between 3,500 and 4,500 tons of copper,” it said.

It said Didipio all-in sustaining costs are expected to range between $300 and $400 per ounce sold with cash costs of $200 to $300 per ounce sold.

Sullivan said the recruitment of the workforce is ahead of schedule and expects approximately 65 percent of the total workforce to be in place by the end of the third quarter and approximately 90 percent by the end of the year.

“Training of the workforce is progressing well ahead of the restart of processing and mining activities expected in the fourth quarter. The health and safety of our employees and local communities is paramount and we continue to manage the ongoing risks and personnel impacts associated with the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.

As a meaningful socioeconomic contributor to Barangay Didipio, the adjacent provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino, Oceanagold said the Didipio mine received strong endorsement from both the community and national government for its successful and uninterrupted restart.

“The company looks forward to continuing its legacy of responsible mining in the Philippines and contributing to the post Covid-19 economy,” Sullivan said.