Production at AngloGold Ashanti’s Mponeng underground mine in South Africa is expected to remain suspended until April 30, the company reported on Wednesday.
Production at Mponeng, the world’s deepest mine, was halted earlier due to a government-mandated lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Mponeng is the only one of AngloGold’s 14 operations where production is currently suspended
Mponeng is the only one of AngloGold’s 14 operations where production is currently suspended.
AngloGold Ashanti has been granted permission by the South African government for the limited restart of its surface operations, which have now recommenced operation on a limited basis.
This includes the processing of marginal ore dumps at the West Wits operations and the reclamation of tailings at the Mine Waste Solutions business unit in the Vaal River region.
500 employees, spread across both the West Wits and Vaal River region, who had facilitated the restart since April 6, represent less than a third of the usual staff for those business units, and roughly 8% of AngloGold’s total South Africa workforce.
In 2019, the marginal ore dumps business produced 70,000oz at an all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of $1,272/oz and Mine Waste Solutions produced 106,000oz at an AISC of $894/oz.
AngloGold Ashanti’s sole mine in Argentina, Cerro Vanguardia, also restarted milling operations on April 6, after a halt on 21 March as a result of countrywide covid-19 related restrictions on travel and border closings.
Cerro Vanguardia produced 225,000oz at an AISC of $859/oz in 2019.
In Brazil, at Mineração Serra Grande S.A. (Serra Grande), operations resumed on 5 April 2020 following a suspension that took effect on 27 March 2020.
Serra Grande produced 123,000oz at an all-in sustaining cost of $1,105/oz in 2019.
The company’s operations in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil (AGA Mineração) continue as they do in Australia, Tanzania, Congo, Guinea, Ghana and Mali. Exploration work in the US has been suspended.
“We’re focused on the health of our employees and our communities, while ensuring we have the ability to contribute meaningfully to a range of vital public health and economic initiatives in each of our operating jurisdictions,” said CEO Kelvin Dushnisky.