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Eldorado’s Skouries in Greece produces first copper-gold concentrate
The mine introduced first ore into the crushing circuit in July and now has an ore stockpile over 4.6 million tonnes supporting more than seven months of planned processing throughput.
Eldorado Gold has produced the first copper-gold concentrate at its Skouries project in Greece, a milestone the company says brings it closer to commercial production in the fourth quarter, Mining.com reports.
The Canadian miner began introducing first ore into the crushing circuit in July and has been commissioning key processing systems, including flotation and tailings thickening. Its ore stockpile now exceeds 4.6 million tonnes, enough to support more than seven months of planned processing throughput as it continues ramping up.
Skouries is designed to operate for 20 years and is expected to produce about 140,000 ounces of gold and 67 million pounds of copper annually from open-pit and underground operations. Eldorado expects the project to change its production mix by adding copper revenue while lowering overall cash costs.
Mining.com notes Skouries has faced delays, including a four-year construction suspension between 2017 and 2021 tied to permitting delays and local opposition. Eldorado later reached a revised investment agreement with the Greek government in 2021, and its board approved restarting the project in 2022, with the larger inventory buffer helping the company manage commissioning ahead of its fourth-quarter target.
Latest closeGold $4,395.60 ▼0.8%|Copper $6.776 ▲2.7%