Endeavour starts wet commissioning at Lafigué project

Endeavour Mining said wet commissioning activities had started its Lafigué project in Côte d’Ivoire, adding that construction was 94% complete, and the first gold pour expected to take place in late-June, a quarter ahead of schedule.

First ore was delivered to the crushing and milling circuits on 24 May, with 14.4 megatonnes of material moved since mining activities started in the final quarter of 2023. Ore stockpiles currently stand at 1.6Mt of ore grading 1.30 grammes per tonne of gold containing 65,000 ounces, the company said on Thursday.

“Lafigué is set to become another cornerstone asset in Endeavour’s portfolio; with over 200koz of annual production at an all-in sustaining cost below $900/oz over its initial 13 year mine life," said chief executive Ian Cockerill.

"With the commissioning of the Lafigué project now underway and first gold production at the Sabodala-Massawa BIOX expansion achieved in early Q2 this year, Endeavour is well positioned to successfully execute its growth strategy, completing the current phase of investment, and transitioning to a more cash flow generative phase."

"We will continue to support our operations, optimisation initiatives and exploration, while we re-focus our capital allocation priorities on de-levering our balance sheet and increasing our commitment to shareholder returns.”

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com