Source: Equinox Gold Corp (2026)
Website: https://www.equinoxgold.com/our-mines/valentine/
Critical Data
| Parameter | Value | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Throughput | 2.5 | Mt/a | Nominal plant throughput at 92% availability |
| Mill Power | 4,800 | kW | SAG mill motor; ball mill also 4,800 kW |
| Target Grind Size | 75 | μm | P80 of cyclone overflow |
| Head Grade | 2.76 | g/t | Design head grade for existing plant |
| Recovery % | 93 | % | Overall nominal gold recovery |
| Processing Capacity | 2.5 | Mt/a | Design throughput; expansion to 5 Mt/a planned |
| Energy Consumption | 16 | kWh/t | Bond Ball Mill Work Index (BWi) |
| Water Consumption | Not specified in source document | ||
| Operating Hours | 8,059 | hours/year | 92% mill availability |
Overview
Equinox Gold Corp.’s Valentine Gold Mine in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, employs a proven conventional gravity and cyanidation flowsheet to recover gold from run-of-mine ore. The process plant, which achieved first gold pour on September 15, 2025, and commercial production on November 18, 2025, is designed to nominally treat 2.5 Mt/a of ore with an overall gold recovery of 93%. Key to this performance is a two-stage grinding circuit (SAG and ball mills), a gravity concentration circuit for coarse gold, and a carbon-in-leach (CIL) circuit for fine gold. The plant operates at 92% mill availability and produces a target grind size of P80 75 µm. Studies are already underway to double throughput to 5 Mt/a, adding secondary crushing, a second ball mill, and a pre-leach thickener. The flowsheet also includes cyanide destruction via the SO₂/O₂ process to meet environmental targets for weak acid dissociable (WAD) cyanide below 2 mg/L before tailings deposition. The facility’s design head grade is 2.76 g/t Au, with gravity recovery contributing 45% of total gold and leach extraction adding 87%. This integrated approach ensures robust gold recovery while maintaining high environmental standards in the sensitive Newfoundland ecosystem.
Key Process Stages
- Stage 1: Primary Crushing – ROM ore is tipped into a hopper with a static grizzly and rock breaker. A vibrating grizzly (127 mm aperture) feeds a C130 jaw crusher operating at 75% availability, producing a P80 of 120 mm. A belt magnet removes tramp metal before the crushed ore is conveyed to a covered stockpile with 19 hours live storage.
- Stage 2: Grinding Circuit – Reclaimed ore feeds a 7.92 m Ø x 4.27 m EGL SAG mill (4,800 kW, VSD) with process water to maintain 70% slurry density. Discharge passes a trommel screen; undersize combines with ball mill discharge and gravity tails. Slurry is pumped to a hydrocyclone cluster (17 x 381 mm cyclones, 350% circulating load) to achieve a target P80 of 75 µm. Cyclone underflow feeds a 5.5 m Ø x 8.84 m EGL ball mill (4,800 kW fixed speed).
- Stage 3: Gravity Gold Recovery – A centrifugal concentrator with a feed scalping screen (+2 mm oversize returns to ball mill) recovers coarse gold. Concentrate is batch leached in a CS3000 intensive cyanidation unit using sodium cyanide and caustic. Pregnant solution is sent to electrowinning; tails return to the grinding circuit. Gravity recovery accounts for 45% of total gold.
- Stage 4: Pre-Aeration, Leach & CIL – Cyclone overflow passes a trash screen then enters one pre-aeration tank, two leach tanks, and eight CIL tanks in series (total 36 h residence at 42.5% solids). Oxygen/air sparging maintains dissolved oxygen, sodium cyanide dissolves gold, and lime controls pH at 10.5–11. Carbon is advanced counter-currently; loaded carbon is screened and sent to acid wash. The inter-tank screens retain carbon while slurry gravitates downstream.
- Stage 5: Cyanide Destruction & Tailings – CIL tailings enter a single mechanically agitated tank (1 h retention) where the SO₂/O₂ process (sodium metabisulphite as SO₂ source, copper sulphate catalyst, lime to pH 8.5) reduces WAD cyanide to <2 mg/L. Detoxified slurry is thickened to 65% w/w underflow and pumped to the TMF; overflow is reused as process water. Carbon safety screens capture any fine carbon for return to the CIL circuit.
Additional Interesting Data and Summary
The Valentine Gold Mine’s process plant is designed with robust metallurgical performance and environmental stewardship. Key technical details include a Bond Ball Mill Work Index of 16 kWh/t, Bond Rod Mill Work Index of 13.9 kWh/t, and an abrasion index of 0.41 g, indicating moderate abrasiveness. The ore specific gravity is 2.68 t/m³. The crushing circuit operates at 75% availability, while the mill achieves 92% availability. The pre-aeration plus leach residence time is 12 hours, and CIL residence time is 24 hours. Cyanide destruction maintains a WAD cyanide discharge target below 2 mg/L after 60 minutes of detox. Tailings are thickened to 65% w/w underflow for deposition. Environmentally, the closed-loop water system reuses thickener overflow and TMF decant, minimizing freshwater demand. The plant’s footprint in Newfoundland includes spill containment, sump pumps, and Safety Data Sheet stations for all reagents. Economically, the project achieved first gold pour in Q3 2025 and reached commercial production in November 2025. The planned expansion to 5 Mt/a will involve adding a second jaw crusher, secondary crushing circuit (HP450e cone crushers), a pebble crusher, a second ball mill, and a pre-leach thickener to increase slurry density to 50% w/w for improved leach kinetics. A sulphur burner will replace sodium metabisulphite as the SO₂ source. These modifications will maintain 93% overall recovery while treating lower head grade (1.68 g/t Au design for expansion). Sustainability initiatives include the use of electric rotary kiln for carbon regeneration, VSD on the SAG mill for energy efficiency, and advanced cyanide destruction to protect local water quality. The facility’s design accommodates future expansion with layout provisions for additional gravity concentrators and CIL tanks. The Valentine Gold Mine stands as a modern example of efficient gold recovery combining gravity, intensive leaching, and CIL technology in a remote Canadian environment.
Key Processes: CIP/CIL, Cyanidation, Gravity Separation, SAG Mill, Ball Mill, Crushing
Target Commodities: Gold, Copper
Technical report and processing history
The following archived source profiles have been consolidated here to preserve the project’s processing history and study context.
Valentine Gold Mine — 2026 Technical Report (Recovery Methods)
Valentine Gold Mine — 2026 Technical Report (Recovery Methods)
| Company | Equinox Gold Corp. |
| Mine | Valentine Gold Mine |
| Date | 2026-03-30 |
| Region | Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada |
| Commodities | Gold |
Executive Summary
This section of the NI 43-101 Technical Report details the recovery methods for the Valentine Gold Mine operated by Equinox Gold Corp. The process plant treats ore via a conventional gravity and cyanidation flowsheet, designed to nominally treat 2.5 Mt/a of ore. Run-of-mine ore is processed through primary crushing, a two-stage grinding circuit, and a gravity concentration circuit. Gravity circuit tailings are treated via cyanidation and a carbon-in-leach (CIL) circuit to produce gold doré.
Commercial production was achieved on November 18, 2025, at 80% nameplate capacity. Studies are underway to increase nominal plant throughput from 2.5 Mt/a to 5 Mt/a. The proposed expansion includes the addition of a second jaw crusher circuit, secondary crushing, a pebble crusher, a second ball mill, and a pre-leach thickener circuit to increase slurry density.
The plant utilizes a Pressure Zadra circuit for carbon elution and an SO2/O2 process for cyanide destruction of CIL tailings prior to storage in the Tailings Management Facility (TMF). Key design criteria include a nominal grind size of 80% passing (P80) of 75µm and an overall nominal recovery of 93% Au.
Processing Profile
- Crushing: Primary C130 Jaw Crusher, Secondary HP450e Cone Crusher (Expansion)
- Milling: 7.92m SAG Mill, 5.5m Ball Mill
- Gravity: CS3000 Centrifugal Concentrator
- Leaching: Carbon-in-Leach (CIL) with Pre-aeration
- Elution: Pressure Zadra
- Detox: SO2/O2 Process
Reports
- entities/Valentine_Gold_Mine
- entities/Equinox_Gold_Corp
Website: https://www.equinoxgold.com/our-mines/valentine/
Report Date: 2026-03-30
Region: Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Project Status:
Commodity: Gold
Throughput:
Mine Life:
Mine Type:
Ore type:
Valentine Gold Project — 2022 Technical Report
Valentine Gold Project — 2022 Technical Report
| Company | Valentine Gold Project |
| Date | 2022 |
| Region | Victoria Lake, Yukon, Canada |
| Commodities | Gold |
| Mine Type | Underground |
| Throughput | 6,850 t/d (Phase 1), 10,960 t/d (Phase 2) |
| Annual Production | 2.5 Mt/a (Phase 1), 4.0 Mt/a (Phase 2) |
| Status | Development |
Executive Summary
The Valentine Gold Project Technical Report outlines a comprehensive two-phase recovery process designed to optimize gold recovery through varying ore grades and production rates. Phase 1 establishes a baseline operation with a throughput of 6,850 t/d, utilizing a SAG and ball mill circuit coupled with gravity concentration and a Carbon-in-Leach (CIL) hybrid system. This initial phase focuses on capital efficiency, targeting a primary grind size of 75 µm and achieving 93% gold extraction via L/CIL, with gravity tails undergoing cyanidation and pre-aeration.
Phase 2 represents an expansion to 10,960 t/d, triggered as mill feed grades decrease and production capacity requirements increase. This phase introduces flotation circuits to recover gold from a low mass concentrate stream, alongside pebble crushing and regrinding capabilities. The flowsheet modification allows for coarser grinding (150 µm P80) and the integration of flotation concentrate leaching, ensuring steady gold production while managing expansion capital costs. The entire process is supported by robust reagent handling, cyanide destruction using the SO2/O2 method, and effluent treatment to meet environmental regulations before discharge into Victoria Lake.
Reports
- entities/Valentine_Gold_Project
Website: https://www.equinoxgold.com/our-mines/valentine/
Report Date: 2022
Region: Victoria Lake, Yukon, Canada
Project Status: Development
Commodity: Gold
Throughput: 6,850 t/d (Phase 1), 10,960 t/d (Phase 2)
Mine Life:
Mine Type: Underground
Ore type:
Valentine Gold Project — 2021 Technical Report
Valentine Gold Project — 2021 Technical Report
| Company | Valentine Gold Project |
| Date | 2021-04-23 |
| Region | Victoria Lake |
| Commodities | Gold |
| Mine Type | Open Pit |
| Throughput | 6,850 t/d (Phase 1), 10,960 t/d (Phase 2) |
| Status | Development |
Executive Summary
This NI 43-101 Technical Report and Feasibility Study outlines the processing design for the Valentine Gold Project, a gold-bearing open pit mine located near Victoria Lake. The project is currently in the development stage, with a proposed two-phase processing plant designed to optimize capital and operating costs based on ore grade and production requirements. Phase 1 targets a throughput of 6,850 tonnes per day (2.5 Mt/a), utilizing a SAG mill, ball mill, gravity concentration, and carbon-in-leach (CIL) circuit. Phase 2 expands the capacity to 10,960 tonnes per day (4.0 Mt/a) by adding flotation, pebble crushing, and additional leaching circuits.
The process design is flexible, adapting to changes in ore grade over the mine life. Initially, high-grade ore is processed with a finer grind size (P80 75 µm) and gravity recovery. As the mill feed grade decreases, the plant will coarsen the grind (P80 150 µm) and employ flotation to recover gold to a concentrate stream, followed by ultra-fine grinding and cyanidation. This phased approach aims to reduce initial capital expenditures while maintaining a steady gold production profile.
Key operational parameters include a primary jaw crusher, SAG and ball mills, and a CIL circuit with intensive cyanidation for gravity concentrates. The plant also features a pressure Zadra elution circuit, carbon regeneration via rotary kiln, and cyanide destruction using the SO2/O2 method. The facility is designed for 92% plant availability and includes comprehensive effluent treatment to meet environmental regulations before discharge into Victoria Lake.
Processing Profile
- Crushing: Primary Jaw Crusher
- Milling: SAG Mill (7.3m dia), Ball Mill (5.5m dia)
- Flotation: Rougher Flotation (Phase 2)
- Leaching: Carbon-in-Leach (CIL), Intensive Cyanidation Reactor (ICR)
- Elution: Pressure Zadra
- Cyanide Destruction: SO2/O2 Method
Reports
Website: https://www.equinoxgold.com/our-mines/valentine/
Report Date: 2021-04-23
Region: Victoria Lake
Project Status: Development
Commodity: Gold
Throughput: 6,850 t/d (Phase 1), 10,960 t/d (Phase 2)
Mine Life:
Mine Type: Open Pit
Ore type:
Valentine Gold Project — 2020 Technical Report
Valentine Gold Project — 2020 Technical Report
| Company | Valentine Gold Resources |
| Date | 2020 |
| Region | Victoria Lake, Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Commodities | Gold |
| Mine Type | Open Pit |
| Throughput | 6,850 t/d (Phase 1), 10,960 t/d (Phase 2) |
| Status | Development |
Executive Summary
This 2020 Pre-feasibility Study for the Valentine Gold Project outlines a two-phase processing plant design optimized for gold recovery. Phase 1 targets a throughput of 6,850 t/d utilizing a SAG mill, ball mill, gravity concentration, and Carbon-in-Leach (CIL) circuit. Phase 2 expands capacity to 10,960 t/d, introducing rougher flotation and regrinding circuits to handle lower grade ore while maintaining production profiles.
The process design emphasizes capital efficiency by coarsening the primary grind in Phase 2 to 150 µm and employing flotation to recover gold from a low mass concentrate stream. Intensive cyanidation is used for gravity concentrates, while leach-adsorption circuits treat both gravity tails and flotation streams. Cyanide destruction follows the INCO process (SO2/O2) to meet environmental standards before tailings deposition.
Key equipment includes primary jaw crushing, SAG and ball milling, centrifugal gravity concentrators, and AARL-type elution for carbon regeneration. The plant is designed for high availability, with crushing at 75% and grinding/processing at 92%. The project aims to reduce expansion capital costs by modifying the flowsheet as mill feed grades decrease over the mine life.
Reports
Website: https://www.equinoxgold.com/our-mines/valentine/
Report Date: 2020
Region: Victoria Lake, Newfoundland and Labrador
Project Status: Development
Commodity: Gold
Throughput: 6,850 t/d (Phase 1), 10,960 t/d (Phase 2)
Mine Life:
Mine Type: Open Pit
Ore type:
