BrightStar Gold Mine
| Location | |
|---|---|
  BrightStar Gold Mine Location in Australia
| |
| Location | Laverton |
| State | Western Australia |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 29°00′S 122°59′E / 29.000°S 122.983°ECoordinates: 29°00′S 122°59′E / 29.000°S 122.983°E |
| Production | |
| Production | 14,287 |
| Financial year | 2010-11 |
| History | |
| Opened | 2010 |
| Active | 2010–present |
| Owner | |
| Company | A1 Minerals Limited |
| Website | A1 website |
| ASX | AAM |
The BrightStar Gold Mine is a gold mine located 35 km south-east of Laverton, Western Australia.
It is operated by A1 Minerals Limited, having commenced production in December 2009.[1][2]
The mine is located on the native title of the Wongatha aboriginal people, who are a shareholder of A1 Minerals. In exchange for the consent of the Wongatha people to any current or future mining tenements, A1 agreed to protect all aboriginal sites, offer training and employment and issue shares in the value of A$ 220,000 to the Wongatha.[3] A similar agreement between the Wongatha and the owners of the Laverton Gold Mine later took place in 2005.[4]
History
A1 Minerals was formed in May 2002 and listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in December 2003.[5] The BrightStar gold project was already pursued by the company at the time of listing on the ASX.[6]
A1 Minerals expanded BrightStar by acquiring the Mikado Gold Mine in July 2005 from Deep Yellow Ltd which had briefly mined the deposit in 2004. Historically, the deposit had also been mined from 1900 to 1911, when 9,916 ounces of gold had been recovered.[7][8]
In July 2008, A1 announced it had purchased a second-hand gold processing plant, which it would relocate from Kalgoorlie to its BrightStar project.[9]
In May 2009, A1 signed a contract for the refurbishment of its existing plant, worth $1.7 million, with CPC Engineering.[10] In July 2009, the company received the necessary approvals from the Western Australian authorities for its project.[11]
The BrightStar deposit includes a number of proposed and existing open pits, some of them having been mined in the past. A1 plans to mine the Alpha and Beta pits, producing 30,000 ounces of gold per annum. The other pits, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta and Theta are future mining prospects.[12]
The mine commenced gold production in May 2010[13] and recorded 2,700 ounces of gold produced for the second quarter of 2010.[14]
The mine continuously underperformed after start up, staying below the targeted production of 2,500 ounces of gold per month, with a low point of just 702 ounces produced in April 2011. A1 Minerals was forced to go into a lengthy trading halt in July 2011 in an attempt to secure more funding.[15]
Production
Production figures for the mine:
| Year | Gold production |
Grade | Cost per ounce |
| 2008-09 | inactive | ||
| 2009-10 | 2,700 ounces | ||
| 2010-11 [15] | 14,287 ounces | ||
Sources
- The Australian Mines Handbook: 2003-2004 Edition, Louthean Media Pty Ltd, Editor: Ross Louthean
- Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2008 Page 34: Principal Mineral and Petroleum Producers - Gold
References
- ↑ BrightStar update A1 minerals ASX announcement, published: 23 December 2009, accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ New Western Australian gold mine due by Christmas mineweb.com, accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ A1 reaches agreement with Native title Claimants A1 minerals ASX announcement, published: 22 July 2004, accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ Native Title - Historic Agreement Crescent ASX announcement, published: 2 March 2005, accessed: 28 January 2010
- ↑ INVEST IN THE FUNDAMENTALS A1 website, accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ Update on Progress at BrightStar Gold Project A1 minerals ASX announcement, published: 19 December 2003, accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ A1 Acquires Mikdao Gold Mine A1 minerals ASX announcement, published: 18 July 2005, accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ MINEDEX website - Brightstar - Mikado search result accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ A1 Secures Gold Processing Plant A1 minerals ASX announcement, published: 17 July 2008, accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ A1 signs Plant Construction and Refurbishment Contract A1 minerals ASX announcement, published: 11 May 2009, accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ Key Treatment Plant and Environmental approvals obtained A1 website, accessed: 30 July 2010
- ↑ BrightStar Gold Project A1 website, accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ Gold Production Begins A1 minerals ASX announcement, published: 24 May 2010, accessed: 29 July 2010
- ↑ June 2010 Quarterly Activities Report A1 minerals ASX announcement, published: 28 July 2010, accessed: 29 July 2010
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 June 2011 Quarterly Activities A1 ASX announcement, published: 29 July 2011, accessed: 5 August 2011
External links
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