Nativo Resources plc has acquired the right to manage, design, complete and operate the partly built La Patona gold ore processing plant in Acari, some 45km from the Tesoro gold concession.
PRODUCTION
The company signed the final contracts with the owner of the part-built GOPP, with negotiations taking longer than expected and consequently delaying the start of site works by up to 15 weeks.
Three potential contracts under consideration for the engineering, procurement, and construction.
Construction and commissioning of the processing plant will complete by the second half of 2026, at an estimated cost of $1.8 million.
Once completed, the processing plant will occupy an area of approximately 15 hectares and operate under existing permits.
Nativo said that the plant would be a “dual circuit flotation and cyanidation operation, incorporating a smelter to produce gold doré bars”.
“The total solids throughput for phase I is designed at 220 tonnes per day,” added the company.
“The flotation circuit will operate in series with the cyanidation circuit, which has a capacity of 70 tonnes per day, with a pull ratio of 15 in the flotation circuit to maximise recovery.”
Metallurgy and assaying will be conducted on site in a purpose-built laboratory unit, which will also enable assaying of third-party ore.
Nativo’s processing engineer Bernardino Alegría Aragón will oversee the construction, commission and day-to-day operations of the processing plant.
“We are encouraged by the progress achieved to date at the GOPP [gold ore processing plant],” said chief executive officer Stephen Birrell.
“We look forward to progressing the remaining pre-construction works and moving toward the construction and commissioning of our own gold ore processing plant in the second half of this year.”