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Maritana Minerals has commenced concrete construction at its Black Swan processing hub (BSPH) in Western Australia, marking a significant step towards first gold production in the second half of 2027.
The development follows completion of the principal demolition program, with work now underway on the foundations of the new carbon-in-leach (CIL) circuit at the 2.5-million-tonne-per-annum processing facility.
Construction contractor Civitech commenced the CIL tank ring-beam foundations during October, completing reinforcement and formwork before progressing to concrete placement.
Further foundation works and tank erection preparations are underway as additional construction areas become available.
Maritana managing director and chief executive officer Grant Haywood said the latest activities demonstrated the project’s transition towards construction.
“The commencement of concrete works for the new CIL circuit is another visible step forward at the BSPH,” Haywood said.
“With the principal demolition program complete, SAG mill liner removal underway and the ROM pad expansion progressing, the site is moving steadily from preparation into construction.”
Meanwhile, Maritana has extended its early works agreement with GR Engineering Services (GRES) to December 31, 2026, committing an additional $19.9 million while the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract is finalised.
The extension will maintain detailed engineering, procurement and site activities, including long-lead equipment orders for the regeneration kiln, electrowinning cells and other processing infrastructure.
Work on Black Swan’s existing grinding circuit also continues, with semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill liner removal underway and Hofmann Engineering selected for specialist refurbishment activities.
The existing mill was previously rotated for the first time in approximately 17 years, allowing detailed inspections and refurbishment planning to progress, with Maritana securing the final statutory approvals required for processing plant construction in September.
The latest update also outlined a staged tailings strategy, with a planned lift of the existing TSF4 facility expected to provide approximately three years of processing capacity.
This would allow Maritana to develop a new tailings facility, TSF5, alongside initial operations.
“Our staged tailings strategy, built on a lift of the existing TSF4, is planned to provide around three years of processing capacity and de-risks the path to first gold, while the appointment of Chris Mardon as general manager operations strengthens our readiness to move from construction into operations,” Haywood said.
The company has appointed Mardon to oversee operational readiness and commissioning preparations.
Meanwhile, expansion of the run-of-mine pad is progressing to accommodate ore from multiple deposits across Maritana’s Goldfields portfolio.
The work follows recent high-grade drilling success at Boorara, where Maritana intersected 36m at 3.53 grams per tonne of gold beneath the planned southern open pit.
Mining at Boorara is targeted to restart in mid-2027, providing feed for Black Swan’s planned commissioning and production ramp-up.
“This is more than a plant refurbishment: we are building a regional gold processing hub for multiple Kalgoorlie ore sources, targeting first gold in H2 CY2027,” Haywood said.
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