Name of the Project
Dalgaranga gold project.

Location
Dalgaranga greenstone belt, in the Murchison province of Western Australia.

Project Owner/s
Gold company Spartan Resources.

Project Description
Spartan considers Dalgaranga one of the best gold development and production restart projects worldwide.

The project’s licences cover about 509 km2 in the prospective Murchison gold district.

The mine was initially commissioned in 2018 and comprises a fully established gold mine, an estimated 2.5-million-tonne-a-year carbon-in-leach processing facility, modern camp accommodation and an airstrip. 

The mine was initially commissioned in 2018 and comprises a fully established gold mine, an estimated 2.5-million-tonne-a-year carbon-in-leach (CIL) processing facility, modern camp accommodation and an airstrip. 

The mine was placed on care and maintenance in November 2022 to implement an operational reset designed to preserve the value of its extensive infrastructure and resource base while developing a new, sustainable operating plan.

This approach is underpinned by the exceptional high-grade Never Never gold deposit, which is situated 1 km from the existing CIL processing facility and the main openpit at Dalgaranga. The deposit comprises a current Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant mineral resource estimate of 1.49-million ounces at an average grade of 8.07 g/t gold.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Under review.

Capital Expenditure
Under review.

Planned Start/End Date
Under review.

Latest Developments
Spartan Resources announced on November 25 that it had secured all the necessary regulatory approvals to start underground mining and processing operations at the site.

The approvals, granted by the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, and the Department of Water and Environment Regulation, enable Spartan to transition from the development phase to the full-scale mining and production of underground ores at Dalgaranga.

This follows the completion of the current Juniper exploration drill drive decline development, a key part of the company’s expansion plans.

With approval in place, Spartan will also start the installation of a ball mill and preleach thickener at the existing processing plant, which will enhance the facility’s capacity. A significant part of the project will involve the operation of a paste plant, designed to use recovered tailings as feedstock for backfill support in underground mining operations. This will maximise ore extraction from each underground level, ensuring that the mine can operate at full capacity.

Further, Spartan has been granted approval to remine tailings from the disused Gilbey’s tailings storage facility (TSF), which will feed the paste plant.

The company has also secured approval for the Golden Wings in-pit TSF, which still holds about 23-million cubic metres of storage capacity, and for the dewatering of the low-grade Gilbey’s openpit, which has been out of operation for some time.

With these key approvals now in hand, Spartan is set to advance to the next stage of its development programme, which is expected to ramp up towards a production restart in the near future.

Dalgaranga’s Never Never and Pepper gold deposits continued to show strong promise as Spartan works to further define resources and reserves in preparation for the restart of the mine.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Not disclosed.

Contact Details for Project Information
Spartan Resources, tel +61 8 9481 3434 or email admin@spartan1.com.au.