Miner B2Gold has confirmed that, due to a slight delay in its schedule, first gold from its Goose open-pit and underground complex in Canada, will not be seen until the second quarter of next year.
Goose, located in the Back River Gold District in the northern Nunavut Territory, was originally expected to come online in the first quarter of 2025.
Officials are citing equipment availability issues for the delay – specifically commissioning and availability of the open pit equipment – as well as adverse weather conditions and prioritization of critical path construction activities.
“The current schedule indicates that an additional three months of mining must be added to the schedule to ensure that the Umwelt open pit, underground development, and crown pillar activities align and that there is sufficient tailings storage capacity in the Echo open pit,” the miner said.
As a result of the updated mining schedule, the company said it now estimates gold production in calendar year 2025 will be between 120,000 ounces and 150,000 ounces; it was previously estimated to be between 220,000 and 260,000 oz.
“Importantly, the updated mining schedule does not impact the total number of gold ounces the Company expects to produce over the life of mine of the Goose Project,” B2Gold added. “The updated production profile has resulted in the company now estimating that average annual gold production from 2026 to 2030 will increase to be in excess of 310,000 ounces per year (previously estimated at 300,000 ounces per year).”
Mill construction at Goose remains on schedule; work is ongoing on various facilities related to concrete, steel erection and building cladding. Installation of the ball mill also continues to progress ahead of schedule with the installation of all shell sections, feed/discharge heads, trunnion, pinion and bearings having been completed.
Source: b2gold.com
