| Company | New Gold Inc. |
| Date | February 28, 2014 |
Executive Summary
The Mesquite Mine is an operating heap leach gold operation located in [Region]. The processing facilities were designed to process 8,800 gallons per minute (gpm) of pregnant gold solution, producing up to 140,000 ounces of gold annually from a combination of 98 million tons of oxide ore grading 0.016 opt and 30 million tons of non-oxide ore. At the time of the site visit, the solution flow rate was approximately 13,000 gpm. The total life-of-mine tonnage will be approximately 128 million tons at an average grade of 0.018 opt gold.
Originally, the ore was crushed; however, since the operation restart in 2007, run-of-mine (ROM) ore is leached. ROM ore with lime added for pH control is trucked to the heap leach pad and stacked to a height of 20 ft, with ultimate pad height increased from 200 ft to 300 ft. Gold recovery uses a carbon-in-columns (CIC) circuit with six-ton carbon columns, followed by pressure AARL desorption, electrowinning, and thermal carbon regeneration.
Operations Profile
- Status: Operating
- Mine Type: Heap Leach (ROM)
- Throughput: 8,800 gpm (designed); 13,000 gpm (actual at site visit)
- Annual Production: Up to 140,000 oz Au
- Total LOM Tonnage: ~128 million tons
- Average Grade: 0.018 opt Au
- Ore Types: Oxide (98M tons @ 0.016 opt), Non-oxide (30M tons)
- Pad Height: 20 ft stacking; 300 ft ultimate
Processing Methods
- Leaching: Heap leach with dilute sodium cyanide, drip emitters
- Carbon Adsorption: Carbon-in-Columns (CIC), six-ton columns
- Desorption: Pressure AARL strip circuit
- Electrowinning: Used for gold recovery from strip solution
- Carbon Regeneration: Thermal reactivation kiln
- Acid Wash: Acetic acid wash (being added for mercury removal)
Reagents
- Sodium cyanide
- Hydrochloric acid
- Lime
- Caustic soda
- Antiscalant
Certifications
- International Cyanide Management Code certified (October 2011)
Reports
Website: https://www.equinoxgold.com/our-mines/mesquite-gold-mine/
Report Date: February 28, 2014
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