About Us The Headlines

Jolu Mill starts operations in La Ronge

An aerial view of Jolu Mill A Kitsaki Procon JV employee installing the jaw crusher at Jolu.

Golden Band Resources’ (GBR) Jolu Mill project began operations Dec. 23. GBR is processing high grade stockpiled ore from the Roy Lloyd mine (Bingo deposit).

“We’re into the operating stage … we’ve switched over from commissioning to production. What that means we’re starting to introduce high grade ore (gold) from the Roy Lloyd mine to the Jolu Mill,” said Gary Haywood, Vice President Operations and COO of Golden Band, in an interview with The Northerner.

Although Golden Band hoped to have gold poured by the end of 2010, they were delayed by “a few little issues,” which they hope to have solved soon.

“We still need to sort out some bugs … we’re just getting ready to pour gold quite soon.”

Plans to use a diesel generator were thwarted when the generator “suffered mechanical issues that forced us to switch over to the grid power earlier than planned,”

Haywood is quoted as saying in a Golden Band news release dated Dec. 23, 2010.

Although the switchover resulted in a consistent power supply, the cold weather experienced during the switchover caused “freeze-up of the thickening circuit, and we experienced a longer delay than anticipated.”

The commissioning process for the project included three primary considerations to ensure all the safety, environmental and metallurgical components of the project are running safely before the start up process was initiated.

“We don’t want to be tailings and that … we don’t want to be spilling gold”

Once they pour gold, the next step is to initiate steady production. “We’re hoping to have that steady state within a couple of weeks.”

The project is almost fully staffed.

“We’re short on operators and trades people. We’re pretty much fully staffed at the mine site.”

Approximately 85 people are employed at the site. Work will also begin on the EP mine at Brabant this year.

Work on the Komis mine is also under way. The surface drawings for the project are complete and “we’re just waiting on the assays from that.”

The assays are expected later this month.

“We will de-water the mine in the spring and do some further underground work. It will lead to a production decision for later in 2011.

“It’s keeping us busy. There is lots going on.”

Valerie G. Barnes- Connell

http://www.townoflaronge.ca/TheNortherner/Story.php?id=793

-F6