Canadian miner Equinox Gold is advancing engineering and economic studies related to the Los Filos carbon-in-leach (CIL) plant and the Santa Luz restart, with the aim of making construction decisions for both projects later this year.
The new $115-million CIL plant forms part of the phased expansion of the Los Filos mine, in Mexico, which commenced in the third quarter of 2019. The CIL plant will complement the existing heap-leach facilities. The feasibility study contemplates a 4 000 t/d plant, but the company has said that it is evaluating the benefits of a larger CIL plant.