Broken Hill Gold obtains third gold pour from existing heap leach ore at White Dam

• 5.43kg of doré produced from existing heap leach ore
• Poured and dispatched to Perth mint for sale
• Upgrades to recovery circuit are nearing completion
• Two-phase expansion designed to add a further 3.5Mt of leaching capacity

Broken Hill Gold (ASX: BH6) has achieved a third gold pour from re-crushed material on the existing heap leach pad with 5.43kg of Doré shipped from the White Dam gold-copper project for assay and processing at the Perth Mint.

The company has also now completed the construction of a new CIC tank to replace tank one from the existing circuit, along with upgrades to the gold room facility and also sandblasting and epoxy coating of the existing CIC circuit.

The high-density polyethylene (HDPE) line in the pad to plant collection channel (W-Drain), main event, and Intermediate Leach Solution (ILS) ponds will all be replaced in conjunction with upgrades to main drainage ditch dams. The pad is currently being drained down, and solution will be evaporated and stored to allow replacement works to commence and management of the flow back from the pad.

Currently, the company is waiting on final quotes for installation of circa 35,000 sq. m of liner with work scheduled to commence shortly.

“Achieving our third gold pour at White Dam is another fantastic milestone, confirming the ongoing value we can unlock from the existing heap leach ore while generating near-term cashflow,” MD, Matthew Boyes, said.

“As we progress plant refurbishments, including replacing CIC Tank 1 and upgrading our gold room, we are taking a proactive, disciplined approach to addressing historical infrastructure limitations.

“Pausing irrigation in late October to complete a full reline of the collection channels, and solution ponds will rectify age-related degradation and legacy design faults, ensuring our operating containment systems are robust and compliant with modern standards and won’t require further investment moving forward once mining restarts.”

“With the 3.5 million tonne pad expansion design now delivered and ready for tender, we are rapidly positioning White Dam for a seamless restart subject to the outcomes of the Vertigo PFS and final investment decision scheduled for early 2027.”

The heap leach pad has been designed to be developed in two phases with the first phase to deliver a capacity of 2.4Mt or two full years before moving to phase three construction which would yield an additional 1.1Mt of capacity.

The pad will be lined with 1.5mm thick HDPE liner, an increased thickness and strength to previous installations. Facility infrastructure improvements such as a diversion channel for storm water and relining of the main collection (W-Drain) will also be undertaken with all collection pipes to be buried to prevent animal interaction and reduce evaporation.

The company has commenced procurement of the required liner material and will tender the pad construction as part of the technical and financial evaluation of the potential Vertigo pit restart.

White Dam is located in South Australia and 80km west of Broken Hill.

BH6 was down 3.23% to 15.0¢. Mkt cap $82.81M.

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