Turquoise Hill Resources has announced that its 65%-owned Oyu Tolgoi copper/gold project has now produced its first copper/gold concentrate after it processed first ore through the concentrator in early January. The start of concentrate production signalled that production ramp-up was expected to achieve commercial production rates within the next three to five months.
Calling the production of first concentrate “another important milestone”, CEO Kay Priestly said, “We are making good progress on our timetable leading to the start of commercial operations.” Turquoise Hill Resources celebrated the commissioning of the Oyu Tolgoi mine’s concentrator on December 27, 2012. Activating the concentrator’s ore-processing circuit for the first time commemorated the occasion.
The project entails the construction and operation of an initial concentrator facility that will process 36.5 million tons of ore a year. By the end of the fifth year of operation, the concentrator will be expanded to a capacity 58 million tons a year. Under the common start-up plan, ore will initially be sourced from the openpit mine on the Southern Oyu deposits, while the adjacent higher-grade underground mine on the Hugo North deposit will be developed to full production of 85,000 t/d.