Native Mineral Resources achieved three successful gold pours at its Blackjack operations at Charters Towers yesterday, marking a pivotal step in the transition from commissioning to full-scale production.

At the same time, Ausenco is progressing an upgrade study for the restarted plant, targeting throughput optimisation and future expansion.

“Successful completion of three gold pours on 27 August, producing 300 ounces of gold, marks a significant milestone for NMR at Blackjack as we continue our ramp-up to full production,” NMR managing director and chief executive officer Blake Cannavo said.

“August is proving to be a transformational month for the business, with plant performance improving daily and feed grades steadily increasing.

“Our strategy remains focused on delivering sustainable gold production from Blackjack while unlocking value across our broader asset portfolio, including Far Fanning and Granite Castle.

“Importantly, the team has maintained strong recoveries through the ramp-up, giving us confidence in the robustness of our processing circuit.”

NMR inked a deal late last year to acquire the Blackjack and Far Fanning deposits, Blackjack processing plant, and other gold assets in the Charters Towers region for $18.9 million.

It has been refurbishing the Blackjack processing plant and announced its first production blast at the Blackjack gold mine in late June.

The next gold pour is scheduled for September 11.

NMR said Blackjack processing ramped up through August, with feed grade peaking at 1.08 g/t gold on Monday.

It said 17,697 dry tonnes were milled at Blackjack from July 29 to August 25, with 91.65 per cent recovery.

Plant utilisation during the period was temporarily below expectations due to troubleshooting of the elution heater, the company said.

It said the issue was swiftly rectified by Gasco, and the plant was now operating at full capability.