Key Stats:
- Project Name: Tindals Open Pits
- Location: Adjacent to the town of Coolgardie, 35Km west of Kalgoorlie
- Product: Gold
- Mining Method: Open Pit
- Surface Resource: 21.4 Mt @ 2.1g/t for 1.4Moz
- Surface Reserve: 1.7Mt @ 1.8g/t for 100,000oz
- Production rate: Pits commenced production late in June Quarter 2011. Targeting 30,000tpm
- Profile: There are multiple surface targets within a 10 sq km area around Focus’ Three Mile Hill processing plant. Currently in production from three pits at the operation.
- Outlook: Sustain production at 30,000tpm and continue to expand resources.
The Tindals Open Pit operation is a new operation commissioned by Focus Minerals late in the June Quarter 2011.
The project comprises multiple surface deposits within a 10 sq km area around Coolgardie. This area has featured a strong history of open pit production which has included the Baileys, Lindsay’s, Dreadnought, Cookes, New Australasian and Brilliant pits.
With stable, growing production at the Tindals Underground operation, through 2010 Focus established a plan to build a new surface mining operation at the Tindals Mining Centre targeting an additional 25,000oz pa production. This saw a concerted exploration program through 2010/2011 with the company successfully adding 40,000oz to the Reserve in the Tindals Open Pit project area. The mine entered production late in the June Quarter 2011.
In a period of just six months, the team at Focus quickly ramped up operations to target capacity. The Tindals Open Pit operation currently has a 5 year mine life at with over 100,000oz in reserve and 1.4Moz in resource. Focus is currently mining from three puts and producing at a rate of circa 30,000tpm.
