EQ Resources’ Mt Carbine tungsten mine in Queensland produced 202.8 tonnes of 50 per cent WO3 concentrate in September.
This is a quarter-by-quarter production improvement of 181 per cent, as mine output has reached two-third of design capacity moving into October.
“The ramp-up phase of mining from the Andy White pit is proceeding as expected and we look forward to further improvement in the months ahead,” EQ Resources chief executive officer Kevin MacNeill said.
“The plant has performed slightly better than expected with the feature being the performance of our two hightech TOMRA XRT ore sorters. I am very pleased to see overall metal recovery above 80 per cent even with the higher-grade feed being processed.”
EQ Resources said that confidence in the Andy White open pit was further increased by extensive grade control drilling.
The company has focused on high-grade quartz veins found in the pit, with ramp-up increasing from 32,000 tonnes of ore in August to 45,000 tonnes in September.
This is expected to reach 83,000 tonnes per month by November when the mine takes delivery of a 192 tonne excavator with a 22 tonne bucket capacity.
EQ Resources processed first primary ore from the site through a rehabilitated and upgrade gravity plant, with additional capacity to be added to the Mt Carbine production profile moving into the December quarter.