- 01Auric buys $1.2m fixed plant for Burbanks refit
- 02Includes crushers, bin, conveyors; to site early 2027
- 03600k tpa CIL; potential to 1.2 Mtpa; lowers risk
Auric Mining (ASX: AWJ) has acquired a $1.2 million package of key front-end fixed plant infrastructure for the re-establishment of the mothballed Burbanks gold processing mill near Coolgardie in Western Australia.
The pre-owned equipment features a three-stage crushing circuit, fine ore bin and conveyors, material handling equipment and shedding, milling structure and associated spare parts, and consumables including two complete cone crushers and one jaw crusher.
The infrastructure will be disassembled and delivered to site from its current location at a cost estimated to be substantially less than its $20 million replacement value.
Engineering and construction firm MACA Interquip has been engaged to commence removal and relocation of the infrastructure, targeting installation at Burbanks in early 2027.
Integrated Scoping Study
Auric identified the infrastructure package during the preparation of the Burbanks-Munda integrated scoping study in July, incorporating the use of comparable secondhand equipment into the proposed capital estimate.
Completion of the acquisition secures the study’s capital and schedule benefits, and provides a stock of spare parts and consumables for Auric, reducing procurement costs and execution risk.
The equipment will be used to support an initial carbon-in-leach (CIL) plant design of 600,000 tonnes per annum, and provide a platform for future expansion to 1.2tpa.
The company sees the purchase as a logical, cost-effective solution to assist in the Burbanks re-start that provides further confidence in delivering the project on time and budget.
High-Quality Package
Managing director Mark English said the company had secured a substantial package of fixed plant infrastructure at a significant discount to replacement cost.
“Importantly, this purchase gives us immediate access to high-quality critical crushing infrastructure and locks in capital estimates and the development timeline used in our study,” he said.
“Together with the included spare equipment, parts and consumables, the package is expected to reduce execution risk, future capital requirements, and the time needed to recommission the facility, representing an excellent outcome for our shareholders.”
Processing manager Scott Bailey said Auric identified the acquisition opportunity through its extensive industry network and would leverage off the team’s prior experience in building, re-starting, and operating gold processing plants.
Burbanks Acquisition
The Burbanks plant is a primary crushing, grinding, and CIL facility with a nameplate production capacity of 180,000tpa and all requisite infrastructure, permits and licences in place, including access to critical power and tailings dams.
Strategically located within close trucking distance of Auric’s tenements, the facility was acquired 12 months ago for $4.4m including granted mining leases, operating licences, and environmental approvals.
Auric is adding a processing plant to Burbanks to enable full management control of the production cycle from mining of ore through to pouring gold, removing any dependence on third-party toll milling
The company is also exploring avenues to upgrade production capacity, with consultants engaged to generate costing scenarios and a detailed analysis on optimal mill size.
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